


Sepia Toned Love

by yourselenite



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Smut, Language of Flowers, M/M, Multi, Peter is an adult, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Spider-Man Big Bang 2018, Trans Peter Parker, gender fluid Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 08:14:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourselenite/pseuds/yourselenite
Summary: Each major life event is represented by flowers that bloom onto one's skin. For one there is a desire to please, for another there is hope, and for one other, age and winter plagues the soul. Destiny has trials and tribulations planned out for them, but when they come together, the flowers that brought them pain no longer matter in the eyes of true love.





	Sepia Toned Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the Spiderman Big Bang! Thank you to @ohstars here on Ao3 and she's also on tumblr at @oh--stars! Thanks so much for the amazing and beautiful flowers! (each one from the story is in the art!) 
> 
> Also thank you to my wonderful betas becuille on Tumblr and simbajean here on Ao3. Y'all helped so much.
> 
> A link for the website I got my definitions from: languageofflowers.com (it's no longer there but I promise it was when I was writing)
> 
> If you didn't read the tags: Peter is an adult.

__________________________

"No matter what you say about love, I keep coming back for more."

-Jordan Sparks,  _Tattoo_

__________________________ 

When a baby is born, they have a Soulmark. A Soulmark is a flower that blooms on the sternum and the wrist of every human. They represent the soul of the person that baby is going to become.

Over the lifespan of Earth, these Soulmarks have been blooming. By modern day, the meanings come intuitively and everyone just _knows_ what they mean. On top of those instincts, the flowers are taught to school children. There are so many to learn that it takes years to get through them all, but it’s one of the easier classes since it’s more of a reminder course than anything.

Families will also teach their children about the flowers. What they represent and who they should show them to. Societal standards are also taught to them.

Because of how private the Soulmarks have become, most people invest in a Marking Band to hide the bloom on their wrist. Only family, close friends, and significant others should know other people’s Soulmarks. Anyone outside of that becomes taboo.

A person is marked more than just their Soulmark. There are also Flower Marks.

Regular Flower Marks arrive through major life events. Most people only get one or two bunches, but for the unlucky few who let emotions guide them through life, they are usually covered in them. There have been recent breakthroughs in skin-toned paints to keep some of the more private flowers hidden.

There is another factor into the Flower Marks. Sometimes two people can get flowers at the same time when they first meet. This is not something to take lightly. It proves and shows that the pair will have a strong bond, earning flowers that represent the other person and how they will play a role in each other’s life. The pair have to talk about the new blooms as soon as possible to make sure there is no damage to the bond they are meant to have.

This bond, however, does not have to be a romantic one. There have been many instances where the pair were only meant to be close friends. Indeed, it is up to the pair to decide what their bond is supposed to be.

One more important fact is about the _true love_ flower. Forget-Me-Nots are the flowers a pair gets when they have found true love between each other. It forms in matching spots on the skin so everyone else can see that this is a Matched pair.

Not everyone will get _true love_ to bloom on their skin, but that doesn’t diminish the love they feel for another person. It is most likely guaranteed that there is still at least one bloom that represents their partner inked onto their skin. But that doesn’t stop Forget-Me-Nots from turning into the height of Hollywood romantic productions or the goal of everyone on Earth.

________________________________________________________

Peter Parker was born with Hawthorn flowers over his heart and wrist. To say his parents were ecstatic was possibly an understatement. They knew Peter was going to bring _hope_ of a better life to whoever he fell in love with.

Peter got a few good years with his parents. When he started to want to wear boys’ clothes and play outside with the other little boys in the neighborhood, they encouraged and supported him. It was a great childhood until his parents died when Peter was still young. That was when Peter got his first Flower Marks. Two Cypress flowers bloomed onto his collarbone. The pain was a lot to handle on Peter’s tiny body and all he could do was hold onto his Aunt May as his parents’ _death_ was burned onto his skin.

From that day, Peter was dependent on his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. They took care of him like he was their son since they never got to have one of their own. They continued the support that his parents had given him. After doing some research on Peter’s part, he came out to his aunt and uncle as transgender. They cried and hugged together after May said that they would always love him no matter what. What mattered was that he was happy.

That night, two bright Red Chrysanthemums bloomed on the inside of his right forearm to scream to the world _I love_. All because of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Peter knew what love was supposed to feel like and what it meant to love someone back.

Later in his life, Peter started his transition. May and Peter took many shopping trips to find all the clothes that made him feel his best and only found the best websites to buy his binders from. Ben made all the court dates and bureaucracy appointments in order to get Peter’s legal name and gender changed on official documents for school and for anything in the future. When things were all set in stone, Peter felt his _change_ bloom on his pinky and looked at the Pimpernel wrapped around the finger like a ring.

This is also around the time that Peter met Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy. The three of them hit it off immediately. It took about a year and a half of friendship but Peter did come out to his best friends. They were silent for a minute, but to Peter it felt like an eternity. Gwen broke into a smile and smothered Peter in a hug. Harry joined and wrapped his arms around the two of them. There were tears this time too. They were young and there was no way for Peter to know that his friends would be accepting or not.

From there, they only got closer. Peter started taking testosterone and Harry was usually there to help if Peter needed him to get the needle just in the right spot. Gwen always wanted to go shopping with him to find the right shirts for a better style than Peter’s hoodies and loose jeans. It was a team effort between the two to take care of Peter as their best friend.

Leading up to high school, something started brewing in Peter’s stomach whenever he saw Gwen walk into the room or they held hands as they walked through their neighborhood park. The blushing soon came after the butterflies in his stomach. It felt like she lit up the room whenever she entered.

“Do you like Gwen?” Harry asked during the summer before high school started.

Peter never verbally answered. A dopey smile and pink cheeks at the mention of Gwen’s name was all the answer Harry needed.

Further into high school, Peter made sure to spend as much time with his friends as possible while still excelling through his math and science classes. Whenever they hung out, Peter always sat with Gwen or close to her at least. If Harry didn’t know better, he would have felt like a third wheel. But he knew Peter couldn’t help himself. This was his first major crush. The kid was practically tripping over his feet to impress her. Peter jumped at the chance to help Gwen with homework that she clearly knew how to do, but _just in case_ she got stuck, Peter was there.

Then one day it stopped. And Peter told him why when Harry asked.

“I told her, man. I told her I liked her. She doesn’t feel the same, but she was nice about it. It still sucks, you know?”

Harry held him close that night and they watched a cheesy horror movie with cheap snacks covering Peter’s bed as they laughed and made fun of the horrible graphics. Harry knew Peter needed this. He’d be okay, but a little solidarity between friends didn’t hurt anyone. While they both slept, a Yellow Tulip showed up on the top of Peter’s left ribs, knowing how he felt about Gwen would be a _hopeless love_.

By Peter’s senior year, he had many years of testosterone under his belt and he was looking more and more like the person he wanted to be. He had to buy razors and shaving cream for his face and his features had become more masculine and cutting. He was never misgendered at this stage of his transition.

Right before Peter officially graduated high school, Aunt May took him to a doctor’s appointment. Peter was under the impression that it was for more injections, but when he read the doctor’s specialties, he was surprised and so happy. For his graduation gift, Ben and May were going to pay for his top surgery. It was planned for two weeks after his graduation date.

Peter graduated at the top of his class with a full ride from Stark Industries and an internship to go with it. People kept asking him if Tony Stark was as handsome in person as he was in the magazines and online. Peter could only laugh and say he hoped so. Despite getting this internship, he had yet to meet the man paying for his education. He thought he would have by now since he was one of three in the entire world to get it.

The night that May and Ben brought Peter home from the hospital after his top surgery, Peter felt an additional pain under his fresh scars. He couldn’t look at it until he could take the bandages off and when he did, he started crying. He had never ran down the stairs as fast as he did that day to show his aunt and uncle the newest mark intertwined with his left side scar. Dittany of Crete blooms were contrasted to his still healing scar to show his real _birth_.

May and Ben first panicked about why their nephew was crying but he was also smiling with a hand covering one of his scars. When he revealed the Dittany of Crete, there were so many smiles in one room it felt like the middle of the day they were so bright. Peter had been born into the person he has always been. Now the outside matched the inside and the universe recognized that.

After their hugging ended, Uncle Ben ordered pizza for dinner from Peter’s favorite pizza place and May got the good ice cream out of the freezer. The family enjoyed their treats and watched the Great British Bake Off, groaning at how bad some of the contestants screwed up, but cheering on the underdogs.

Unknowingly to Peter, the Dittany of Crete only appeared on people who were trans and who were finally happy in their body, whatever that meant for them.

That summer, the recently graduated senior class took a trip to Oscorp to see the newest innovations in biological technology. They had an inside track through Harry to get the tour since his father ran the corporations.

Peter, Gwen, and Harry strayed towards the back of the crowd, taking in the experiments more than listening to the tour guide give a history lesson that they all already knew from growing up around Harry and his father.

Peter felt something drop onto the back of his neck while the tour stopped to make another boring point about the science Peter already knew. There was a sharp sting and he slapped the back of his neck but whatever bit him was already gone.

The rest of the day Peter was a little dizzy and his vision blurred more than normal. He immediately passed out in his bed after coming home from the tour. In the morning, he put on his glasses out of habit but it made everything blurry. Strange.

A knock came from the door and Peter jumped straight out of bed and grabbed onto the ceiling. “Peter? Are you okay? You’re going to let your breakfast get cold if you don’t come down soon.” It was Aunt May.

“I’ll be down in second!” That was the point where Peter fell back down onto his bed with a thud. He scrambled out of bed and stared down at his hands in disbelief. He shook himself out of it and quickly got dressed. Or he tried to be quick, his clothes kept sticking to his hands.

Ben was at the table and reading the police reports from the week in the newspaper. Peter sat and stuffed his face with food with May scolding him and telling him to slow down in the background. When he tried to excuse himself, Ben stopped him.

“Peter, I’ve been meaning to talk to you before you go off for your internship and start your college career.” Peter slowly sat back down into his seat. “You’re about to gain a lot of high ground in this world. With the Stark name on your resume, you’ll be unstoppable. I want you to understand the power you’re going to have. With great power comes great responsibility, Peter.” Peter fidgeted in his seat and nodded his agreement. “Don’t take your power for granted. Make sure you’re helping people too.” With that, Ben let Peter leave the table. He planted a quick kiss on his uncle’s head and headed back upstairs to figure out what had happened yesterday.

He eventually got it. Peter spent the months leading up to his internship and college life becoming your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Swinging through New York was nothing he had ever felt. The webbing he had designed was finally holding his weight and the force of his swings.

At the end of one of his nightly patrols, he sensed a tussle a few streets from his home, but brushed it off so he could go home and go to bed. The police could handle this one.

Right before he swung into his room, there was a gunshot. Peter jumped from his window to his roof, feeling breathless from the height he had to jump to and running across other roofs to get to the commotion faster. What he saw would always be a reminder of just how much more he had to learn about being a superhero. There on the sidewalk was Benjamin Parker, bleeding out from a gunshot wound. Peter fell to his knees next to the only man he ever saw as a father figure. He couldn’t even take off his mask to let Uncle Ben know he was there with him.

Ben reached up and cupped the mask-covered cheek of Peter’s face. “With great power…” The hand fell from his face and Peter grabbed it between his two gloved ones.

He choked out a quiet “comes great responsibility.”

The tears were filling his mask and Peter could hardly breathe. When the ambulance came, he didn’t move to follow them. He stayed there on the sidewalk with his hands on either side of the blood stain from where his uncle had died in front of him. The burn on his collarbone was a welcome sensation to the numbness he felt in his chest. He knew another Cypress was forming next to the ones for his parents. Three blooms marking the _death_ Peter had faced in his lifetime.

The sun was coming up when Peter stumbled into his home. It already felt empty. May was at the hospital. He had called her earlier to say he was out with Harry, but he’d be home in the morning. He had multiple missed calls from his aunt crying into the phone for him to come home. His uncle had been shot in the street.

He slid his feet across the living room to the bottom of the stairs and barely made it up without tripping on a step. Looking into his room was hard to do. Crossing the threshold was even worse. All he wanted was to wake up from this nightmare as he peeled out of his costume. Peter spat onto the front of the mask like it had personally offended him. If he was going to continue to be Spider-Man, he would never ignore his senses ever again. If he had been there for Ben, he would still be here. Peter could have _saved_ him. He slammed his fist into his desk and broke the wood from his anguish. His extra strength only becoming a hazard to himself and his belongings.

Despite all of that, he had put his costume in the back of his closet. He needed to stop being Spider-Man until everything settled down from the catastrophe of the night before. Peter fell back onto his bed in just his underwear, staring blankly at the ceiling. He never checked in the mirror to see his third Cypress. It would only make matters worse.

Peter eventually fell into a fitful sleep, thinking about the weeks he had left before he was shipped out for college and to work as a Stark Industries intern.

In his sleep, Peter dreamed. Uncle Ben was at the table with his paper in hand. He turned towards Peter and smiled sickly. “Why didn’t you save me, Peter?” A red spot bloomed on Ben’s chest in the same spot he had been shot. “You could have, but you ignored your responsibility.” Peter jerked in his chair but he couldn’t move. He tried to jump forward and cover the bleeding spot on his uncle’s chest. If he stopped the bleeding, Ben could live. His mouth wouldn’t move so he couldn’t even apologize. The screams he tried to get out were silent, and Ben kept looking at him with that sick smile and blood running down his chest.

Peter sat up in his bed in a cold sweat and tears running down his face. He sniffled and wiped at his cheeks and nose. A look at his clock said it was just after nine at night. He heard noises downstairs and made his way down. May was cleaning the kitchen with Gwen at the sink and Harry dusting the living room. They all paused when they heard Peter come down the stairs. May walked to the bottom of them and opened her arms for her nephew. Peter threw himself into her arms and held on tight. They stayed like that until Peter felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned towards the person and pulled them into a hug. It turned out to be Harry and he held on tighter. The familiar feeling of one of his best friends in his arms was just as reassuring as feeling his aunt. When he let go of Harry, Gwen was there to fill the space.

They all spent the rest of the night together and when it was time again to sleep, Harry, Gwen, and Peter climbed into Peter’s full-sized bed and held each other close with Peter in the middle. It will be a tough couple of weeks with a funeral and a big move to plan. But his support system was strong and he could make it.

When Peter made it to college, it was in one piece. He was nervous about the things he was going to be expected to do now, though. His internship took place on campus, but he was going to have to make trips to Stark Tower to get a hold of technology the college didn’t have. He also had to buy his own food which was hard to do when all he wanted was junk and frozen pizza. At least he knew what brands he liked from what Aunt May bought.

His first year of college flew by with projects and presentations and a finishing 4.0 GPA for the year. He still hadn’t pulled his Spider-Man suit back out from his closet. The tabloids were still wondering where the masked vigilante was after his last spotting being when Uncle Ben died. He didn’t let it get to him, though. He stayed in the moment which was quite easy with how busy his life had gotten.

Peter and Aunt May celebrate together with a dinner at a fancy sit-down restaurant that he was very proud to say that he could pay for.

The following summer had Peter making several trips to Stark Tower to work on his projects since he couldn’t have the supervision he needed on campus. Him and the other two interns really hit it off and were there to help each other out with ideas and execution.

It’s the end of July and there was a subtle buzzing in the lab. Peter asks one of the other interns what’s happening and she points to the other side where some Research and Development crew had taken post. Next to them was Tony Stark. Peter’s heart sped up and his hands felt clammy. When Tony looked up at him, Peter quickly looked away and turned back towards his work table.

He grabbed the notes he was working on yesterday and let himself be distracted by the numbers. He was only momentarily sidetracked when he heard Tony’s voice behind him, talking with the intern behind him and checking in on her progress.

Suddenly the hair on the back of Peter’s neck stood on end, and without thinking, he turned and grabbed the beaker full of whatever substance before it could spill a single drop and placed it back onto the table. When Peter looked up, his friend was open-mouthed and Tony Stark was looking at him with interest and slight mischief.

“Oh, uh, sorry about that,” Peter mumbled, turning back around before either of them could see the pink on his cheeks.

Keeping his eyes down, Peter was able to see the expensive leather shoes come into view as his benefactor came to look over his work.

“That was an impressive catch, kid. How’d you do it?” Peter tried not to purr at the nickname and turned to face the man next to him.

“Would you believe good reflexes and luck?” Peter flashed a bright smile at Tony, keeping it still dim enough not to be cheesy.

“Hate to say it, but no, I wouldn’t. What’s your name?”

Peter stood and held out his hand proudly. “The name’s Peter Parker, Mr. Stark. I’d like to thank you for this opportunity to work with your company.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Peter. The pleasure is all mine.” Tony took his hand and gave it a firm shake. Peter promptly dropped it when there was a sharp burn at the top of his ribs below his surgery scars. Tony also flinched but what confused Peter was the flash of fear in Tony’s eyes when the pain first hit. Peter placed a hand over his tingling skin and goes to mention it to Tony.

“So, I guess we have flowers to talk about.”

“Uhh, actually, kid, I have to go. It was nice meeting you.”

Peter excused himself from the room and is trying his best to make it to the closest bathroom without his knees giving out under him. He finally gets in and locks the door that leads into the bathroom after checking to make sure all the stalls were empty. When he lifts his shirt, he doesn’t know what to expect. Except he is sure he wasn’t expecting Purple Roses to have bloomed and have flowers show his _enchantment_ so clearly on his skin.

Looking back on his life, many of his flower marks had made him cry. But staring down at the blooms that Tony had no idea were his, he felt something deep in his soul shift.

 _Crack_.

Peter felt the sadness that came with a splintered bond come next. He didn’t cry, though. It set in more like a heavy depression than reckless and loud crying. But mostly, he was scared that he could lose the bond he had with Tony.

He put his shirt back down and walked out of the bathroom, ignoring the line of irritated people outside of the bathroom waiting for him to leave. He made it back to the lab in a trance and packed up his stuff. His friends were asking if he was okay, but he waved them off as he signed out of the lab two hours earlier than he usually did.

He dropped his stuff at the door when his aunt came to welcome him home. He held her tightly and she returned the embrace without question. She rubbed his back soothingly and he felt the tension leave his spine in increments.

“Peter, baby, what happened? You’re home early.” Her voice allowed him to take a deep breath and explain his newest flower. They sat down on the couch and May put on a show about dogs in the background as Peter talked.

“He looked so scared, Aunt May. I couldn’t tell if it was me or the fact our flowers bloomed together, but I really hope it wasn’t me. I don’t want to lose this internship because of some stupid flowers.”

May shushed him and rubbed his shoulder gently when he tucked into her side. “You won’t lose the internship. Mr. Stark knows what skills you offer his company. The only way to know if it was something personal is if you ask. If you feel like you have to wait until the internship is over to confront him, that’s up to you. But don’t let it break the bond you’re supposed to have. That can always be prevented as long as one person tries to stay around the other.”

Peter nodded at his aunt’s words. They made sense.

However, it turns out that he didn’t have to try hard to keep Tony around. He was always in the lab to check on his interns anyway. If Peter noticed that he spent a little more time with him than the others, he never mentioned it.

At the beginning, Peter would try to get Tony alone so he could ask about the flowers. Nothing had felt like it had broken yet, and it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Tony’s part.

“Mr. Stark, can you stop by the lab tomorrow evening? I’m going to be getting a little deeper into my project and I’d like your assistance.” Peter smiled prettily at Tony through the hologram he had pulled up to look at his test results.

“Sorry, kid. I have an event that night already. How about another time?” Tony gave his press smile and it twisted something inside him. Ever since Tony started coming around the lab more often, Peter had picked up on some of Tony’s habits. His smiles being one of them. Sometimes he would get a glimpse of a real smile and it would make his heart race and his face heat. But then there were times like these where he had pushed too far and Tony’s guard went up and their conversation was over.

Peter became Spider-Man again soon after that, fighting bad guys and helping the police catch them. Some nights he’ll look up at the sky from one of his many rooftops, hoping to spot Iron Man high in the sky. When Tony had come forward about being Iron Man, Peter couldn’t say he was surprised. _Of course,_ it would be Tony who created such a beautifully working piece of armor.

He jumped when he heard someone land behind him. His spider senses be damned. When he turned around, the man spoke.

“Hey, Spider-Man, I wanted to officially introduce myself. I’m Iron Man.”

“I know who you are. You’re the very famous Tony Stark.”

Tony laughed and Peter’s heart sank. He could never make Tony laugh like that in the lab. His faceplate slid up and the full beam of a real smile was there for Peter to take in.

“There’s no need for this, then. I take it you saw the press conference?”

“Everyone saw the press conference. ‘I am Iron Man.’ Very iconic. Did you come up with that yourself?”

The smile stayed on Tony’s face. All Peter wanted to do was yank off his mask and confront him right there on that rooftop. His need to keep his identity hidden, however, won out.

“Why, yes I did. Thank you for noticing.” It was that moment that Tony walked up to him. Because of the suit, Tony had a few more inches on him and Peter had to look up to meet his eyes.

“So, uh, what brings you to my friendly neighborhood, Tony Stark? Besides wanting a close up of this precious mug.” Peter made a circle gesture around his masked face and chuckled softly at himself. Sometimes he was a comedian and couldn’t help it.

“I’m recruiting, and I wanted to check out the competition. This super-secret government organization is putting together a team of Earth’s mightiest heroes or something. I was wondering if you’d be interested in being recruited. That, or if you planned on making our jobs harder in the future.”

“Now, now, we’re all on the same page here. We both want to keep New York – and by extension, the world – safe. I’d be interested in hearing more about your secret boyband before wanting to sign-up.”

Tony brightened up again and held out his hand, covered by the gauntlet no less. Peter took it in his gloved hand and added a little of his strength in to make sure the other man could feel it through his suit. “You have yourself a deal, Spider-Man. I’ll bring you the details tomorrow night. Same place.”

With that, the faceplate came back down and Iron Man flew off the roof. Peter let out a shaky breath that he had been holding in while they shook hands. He thought their flowers might have tingled or something and give away his identity but turns out that was only his paranoia talking.

After waiting a couple more hours without a sign of trouble, Peter went back to his house and got out of his suit. He’ll have his internship in the morning, hanging out with Gwen and Harry after that, and then a meeting with Iron Man that night. He needed to get some sleep.

His morning at Stark Tower went better this time. Peter’s light flirting was received and reciprocated by Tony. He even got to touch Tony’s arm after Tony had made a joke that had Peter bursting with laughter.

Peter was feeling bold and tucked a piece of paper into Tony’s pocket square holder before he left. “See you later, Mr. Stark.” Peter grabbed his things and winked at Tony as he walked out the door.

If Tony opened the piece of paper he would see a phone number, Peter’s name, and _If you ever want to talk about our flowers, I’m always free_.

Peter was still riding that high when he got to his post for the night’s patrol. He was expecting the sound of Iron Man landing this time and watched as the suit came down to meet him.

“I was starting to expect you were not going to show. And on our first date too.” Peter heard the tinny laugh from inside the suit and kept listening when it became clearer as the face mask came off.

“Despite my reputation, I have never left a person hanging on a first date. I brought your details. I hope you’ll join us to fight intergalactic bad guys.”

Peter took the file that Tony held out to him and began to look through it.

“One question, Tony Stark. All these people, they don’t have secret identities. Would mine still be intact if I decided to join?”

Tony gave him a speculative look and tilted his head a little.

“Yes, of course. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. S.H.I.E.L.D. might get a hold of it because they’re powerful like that, but they won’t share it. You’d be one of their most important assets. They wouldn’t ruin that.”

Peter handed back the file to him with a soft smile hidden behind his mask. Tony had no idea how sweet he was being. But Peter couldn’t accept.

“Thanks, but no thanks, Tony Stark. I won’t join your boyband, but I’ll be around if you need an extra hand in a fight.”

Spider-Man gave a short salute and jumped off backwards from the building’s ledge and into the streets of New York, following the sounds of a bank robbery. The smile on his face wouldn’t leave his lips until he fell asleep. And even then, his dreams were filled with Purple Roses and well-groomed facial hair.

~*~

Odin stepped up to the offering table one booted foot at the time. He heard the crying from down below and followed his instincts to find the source. When he reached the top, he found a runt of a Frost Giant. He knew it had to be the runt that Laufey was trying to get rid of. His own heir.

When Odin was standing above the child, two white blooms were present on the child’s skin. He couldn’t decipher what the blooms were, except for the fact that they were not of the realm of Jotunheim or of Asgard. The flowers came from somewhere else entirely.

He picked up the child in his arms and pushed warmth from his veins and through his fingertips into the frozen skin. Odin watched in surprise to see the skin change, forming a magical gradient from the Frost Giant blue into something that would be considered natural on Asard. The magic he had used to warm the child also transformed him. The baby opened its eyes and instead of the Frost Giant red, they were a piercing green. Odin knew those eyes would bring trouble to his family, but he walked back down the steps with the baby in his arms anyway.

The fight was over and it was time to return home. Odin and his soldiers were transported back to Asgard through the Bifrost and Odin headed straight for the castle where he knew his wife and young son would be waiting for him.

Frigga, his wife, was not surprised to see him carrying a baby in his arms. She had probably seen it coming last week.

“My love, you have brought back a child. Is it to be ours?” Frigga held out her arms in more of an order than a suggestion. Thor was at her skirt, holding on with one hand. Odin handed over the baby to his queen then bent down for Thor to run to him, scooping him up and placing his son on his hip so he could see his new brother.

“I would like that, yes. He was a runt and left out in the Jotunheim cold to die.”

“The Allfather’s words are law. He will be a fantastic addition to our family. Have you picked a name?”

“I have not, but I am sure you did as soon as you saw me bringing the child home. It’s a he now?”

“Yes, it is a boy right now. That may change as he gets older.”

“And the name?”

“Loki.”

It was decided the moment Frigga brought Loki up to Thor. Thor held out his hand to the newest addition to the family and Loki grabbed onto his finger, loosely holding on. The face Thor made was priceless.

“Thor, meet your baby brother, Loki.”

The sound Thor made in response was an attempt at saying Loki but came out more as oak. Odin and Frigga chuckled together and both headed towards their chambers to put both sons to bed. There was already a crib waiting for Loki when they got there. Frigga was a cunning woman. Odin could only hope that Loki would be like her, watching Thor turn into more like him.

As the boys grew up together, Loki started to catch onto how he was treated differently than Thor was by the servants and the citizens of Asgard. One day when it was obvious, Loki felt a very sharp sting at the top of his shoulder. When he was alone in the washroom, he checked to see what had bit him, but there was only a mysterious flower where his skin had burned. Loki was sure that it had something to do with what was on his chest and wrist.

One time, when Loki and Thor were flirting with the court staff, they had both been called to meet with Odin in the throne room. It didn’t bode well that they were being called while doing something they were not supposed to do. They had been told several times not to fool around with the staff around the palace but continued to do it anyway.

Once they were kneeling under their father’s feet, Odin spoke: “My sons, you have disobeyed direct orders from me. Thor, you will be helping dispose of horse droppings for a year. Loki, you will join the teachers and will be taught about the realms of Yggdrasil then become a teacher yourself. However long that takes, that will be your sentence.”

Thor started to put up a fight, but Loki did not help him. He was watching his father with curious eyes. He could not understand why he would give Thor a definite task, and give him one that he could be under for decades. Another burn covered his arm. It was more spread out than the first time. When Loki got to see what had happened, his singular flower had spread and become a bunch on his arm. It was all the same flower that covered from his shoulder to his elbow. It only made him all the more frustrated to the vibrant purple bloom and not know what it meant.

Their punishments started the following morning. Loki listened to Thor complain the entire way to breakfast then to where they split ways. Thor was going to be fine. It was only grunt work. Loki thought different of himself as he slid into the study and found the oldest teachers in Asgard to help him learn.

When he sat down, a giant, dusty, and worn book landed in front of him. The woman to his right pointed at it.

“You will read and memorize this one first. Once you have proven you know the material, we will move on. Try to have it finished in two weeks. You will be tested then. You may begin.” The women disappeared into the library part of the study after that and Loki was left to his own devices.

One he was comfortable in a lounge chair, he began to read. His first realm was, of course, Asgard and the material was easy enough to understand. He had learned most of it already. It’s when he got to the history from before even his grandfather’s time that things got tricky. Everything was still forming and not many things had been written about it. Loki finished this book in a week and used the next week to delve into more of Asgard’s past. There wasn’t much past the book he was given, though. It made him disappointed in the people who didn’t think to write things down to make it part of history.

By the end of the second week, Loki wouldn’t call himself an expert on Asgard, but it would it seem so. He had also taken the time to learn about the secret exits and entrances to and from Asgard. He had things brewing for his brother.

The things he was tested on were basic and surface level. The teachers were impressed, however. Loki didn’t really pick up on it, but the entire test was not in the book the teachers had given him at the start of the two weeks.

Loki kept going over the top on his teachings of the universe’s history. He would find any book he could get his hands on about that week’s topic and then some. Soon, he became too much for the teachers and his mother, Frigga, was the one to take over.

She paused his studies on Muspelheim one afternoon and slid him a book of Magic and one on the flora and fauna of Midgard. When Loki looked up at her with a confused look, she only smiled softly and took the book he was reading away.

Loki opened the book of Magic and started reading. He was immersed immediately. He barely felt the burn across his face just below his eye.

Frigga watched as the skin on Loki’s cheekbone glowed a soft yellow while new flowers were etched into his skin. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the bright purple form, knowing that when Loki finally learned why he was being covered in flowers and what they meant, he would never stop learning about Midgard. That realm would always have a guardian to watch over them and their souls.

Until then, though, Loki focused on his Magic.

A year came and went. Loki watched Thor set his shovel down for the last time and join his friends in drinking and celebration. More burning around his elbow as more flowers were formed. At this, his rage uncurled and forced itself out of him, wrecking his study area. Everything was so frustrating when it came to these _damn_ flowers.

A dagger formed in his hand and he threw it at the wall but it disappeared before it could make a satisfying dent.

Loki snarled and turned towards the unwelcome guest.

“Be calm, my son. Destroying your library won’t aid you in finishing out your punishment.”

Odin stood at the door and Loki’s clenched hands glowed with gold and green Magic. A soothing deep breath had the glowing down to a shine around his hands but no longer tangible.

“Father, my apologies. I did not hear you come in.” Loki fell to one knee and bowed his head.

“Rise, Loki.” Loki did. “Speak with me freely about how you’re feeling.”

With an exasperated sigh, Loki began: “I’m frustrated that I do not know why these _blooms_ are forming on my skin. They show up at the most inopportune moments and mark my skin like a finely crafted tattoo. No one here else has them. All my studies have not found another realm with this disposition.”

The smile on his father’s lips was one Loki had yet to see. “Loki, you have yet to finish studying all nine realms. Frigga has told me she tried to show you, but you have been so focused on your Magic instead of what you should be using this time for.”

Loki chuckled with a small huff and nodded.

“Yes, I have put those studies on hold. Magic just seemed much more interesting.”

“If you go back to those studies, you will have more answers than questions when you are done.”

His father didn’t elaborate and turned on his heel to leave, letting Loki take in his cryptid advice in the silence of the study.

The next day, Loki was training with his mother when he suddenly dropped the Magic he was using to practice defense with and faced Frigga head on.

“What do I need to see in order to understand the flowers across my skin?”

She flat out _beamed_ at Loki and held out her hand to him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

They made their way back to the library to get answers. Loki’s stomach was twisting and turning in anticipation.

Frigga had him sit at his usual study table and placed the same book about plants from months ago in front of him.

“I tried to show you, but Magic interested you more. Have fun, my son.” She patted his shoulder and vanished.

Loki opened the book and it was full of pictures of beautiful flowers he had never seen before captioned with their meanings. Of course, they had meanings. Loki should have known.

While flipping through the pages, he found a familiar one. It was a picture-perfect replica of the blooms on his arm. They meant _envy_. His arm was covered in Geranium blooms. The memories of them showing up fit perfectly in time with his feelings of malice towards Thor. Loki pulled his long sleeve down further over his hand to make sure it was all still covered even though it stopped at his elbow.

The next one he recognized was the one on his chest and his wrist. The tiny white flowers were Guelder Roses and they meant _winter and age_ . That confused Loki. He understood the _envy_ inked on his skin, but there was no reason for the white petals to mark his skin. He’d have to ask Mother or Odin for answers on that.

Only a page or two more and Loki found the purple blooms on his cheek. He also found that they were called Heliotrope and proved he could _devote_ himself to something. Loki knew those flowers were for his mother and his home.

He still didn’t know why they were showing up on his skin, but at least he knew where they were coming from. Midgard had been blessed with beautiful decoration for everyone to admire. Loki kept looking at and learning about the flowers from Midgard. He soon became an expert on what each flower looked like and what they meant. He wanted to be sure that he would have no more confusion to why his body wanted to be covered in blooms.

That led him to finding the history of the people of Midgard: the humans of Earth. They became some kind of science experiment for him. He’d waste his days observing that they did and why they did it.

Loki’s eyes widened when he found out about Soulmarks and Flower Marks. He pressed his hand against his sternum and felt confusion settling in again. He wasn’t sure why a son of Asgard had _winter_ in his heart.

The Forget-Me-Nots intrigued him, though. If he was the only one on Asgard getting these flowers, did that mean his _true love_ was on Earth? He could go in search of them, but he had things to do here. More realms to study. He also needed to know more about Earth’s past customs and how it handled Soulmarks.

Loki took a break from his Magic practices and dove deep into learning about Midgard. Odin had mentioned the existence of Asgard, and there was a group of people that worshipped it’s people. There they called him the God of Mischief. They couldn’t have been more on the nose. Loki had rolled his eyes when he saw Thor get his own day of the week. If there was a soft prickling on Loki’s forearm, he didn’t react to it.

Loki kept studying and studying until he was completely caught up with Midgardian history. At that point, he just kept an eye on Earth. He was a little disappointed when he stopped getting worshipped and a little outraged when he was replaced in history by the Christians and their god on a cloud.

It took everything in him not to come down from Asgard to take care of the Catholic Romans himself when they started their crusade. Humanity was looking so well until that point. The fall of the Roman Empire had Loki laughing for weeks because he saw it coming.

Loki was disgusted. The people who used to worship him and his family were now destroying other people’s homes, taking them as slaves and killing them off in droves. He watched as they shipped them to Brazil, turning it into a trade. Loki asking Odin if he could do anything. Asked if he could go to Midgard and smite them. He was met with a stern look and a warning to leave humanity alone.

Loki could only watch as humanity destroyed itself then. He couldn’t even stand to keep observation on the western hemisphere without wanting to throw up.

Two wars less than fifty years apart from each other. Loki was sure the world would end this time. Humanity was stupid and it wouldn’t be a pity if they died off. However, hadn’t visited Earth yet and wanted to try and find his person worth Forget-Me-Nots to bloom on their skin for him.

When Earth seemed stable enough, Loki went back to his Magic. There were people on Earth he had wanted to be. He wondered if he would feel any better being a woman or someone who was genderless. Maybe it would make him feel better on the days that he didn’t want to have a dick because it made him uncomfortable. He could even be androgynous and keep the world guessing.

It hadn’t been a long time of being uneasy in his body. It only started when he started watching Midgard. He noticed how beautiful the women looked in their ballgowns and he _wanted_ that to be him. However, Loki didn’t feel like that all the time. Other times he didn’t want to be a man or a woman. He saw people who fit this on Earth. He couldn’t give a definitive answer on what was between their legs. Which, he was sure, was the point. He also wanted desperately for that to be him. The rest of the time, he was happy being his male form. There was no term for how he was feeling yet. But he knew that he wanted it.

He found books and more books on changing one’s appearance from clothes to body parts. When Loki transformed into female Loki for the first time, she started to cry tears of joy.

She stripped down to her naked body and ran a hand over her smoothed out features and down her chest. With a little extra Magic, Loki made her breasts half a size bigger then laughed at herself. She twisted and smiled proudly at the shape of her ass and how plump it looked.

Loki’s hands started stinging and she looked in awe as Amaryllis blooms onto her skin. The flowers were bright red and almost looks like blood. But it means _pride_ . She is proud of herself, of what she can do. Loki looks up at her body again. It also means _splendid beauty_. The realization brought tears to her eyes again, but they didn’t overflow. The rest of the day Loki tries out all kinds of forms, changing them as she sees fit to make them perfect. Loki never has to feel uncomfortable in their body ever again.

That is until he finds out that he can turn blue when he lifts the Casket of Ancient Winters to use it against the very people he was born from. More Geranium had just formed a few days ago when Thor was announced to be getting the throne to Asgard. Loki had started to think of plans to get Thor off the throne or out of Asgard.

He had promised the casket to the Frost Giants if they helped him. He was finally retrieving it when he nearly dropped it as his arms turned blue and he felt like he was on fire in the heated room. When he set it back down, he knew his eyes were as red as blood without looking into anything reflective. He had gone so long being in love with who he was. It was about time that changed.

Loki’s plan still worked perfectly, though. Thor was banished and Loki got Odin alone to push for answers.

“Allfather, I have some questions about my parents.” This made Odin pause and take Loki’s face into consideration to try and figure out what game he was playing.

“If you have questions about your mother and I, we will do our best to answer them.” The smile on Loki’s face would make anyone want to vomit.

“Oh no. I mean my biological parents. The ones who were Frost Giants.” Loki saw something akin to panic in Odin’s eyes and something deep in his soul was thrilled at it. He watched as Odin closed the distance between them in the throne room.

“I found you out in the cold. You were a runt and I saved you from their horrid traditions of letting a mere babe try to survive a harsh winter.”

Gold Magic shined underneath Loki’s skin from the barely contained anger.

“Who is my father? Or did you kill him in the same war you took me from?”

“Laufey. You are the prince of the Frost Giants.”

Loki stumbled backwards. Magic shot out from his fingertips like lightning, striking the walls and decorations around them but never hitting him or Odin.

“You didn’t think…didn’t think to keep the horror stories about the Frost Giants to yourself? You think so low of me that you couldn’t spare me the terrible stories of my home realm?”

Odin placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder; something that used to be reassuring but was now something that made him flinch away.

“My son-”

“I am not your son!” Loki pulled away and shot Magic out at Odin, knocking him into the stairs leading up to the golden throne. Before the Allfather could retaliate, Loki was storming out of the room and away from anything that had to do with Odin. He fell into the Odinsleep only a few days after their conversation. With Thor banished, Loki became acting King of Asgard. It was nothing Loki wanted, but he had immense power and used it against Thor on Earth.

Thor ended up earning his hammer back. Loki watched him as he sacrificed himself for a human woman with _intellect_ in her soul. He couldn’t control himself when he started to see everyone preparing to welcome back the God of Thunder. He rampaged. He didn’t stop when Thor was back, just kept going. He yelled at Thor about how he never wanted the crown and about so much more.

“I wanted to be seen as equal to you, _brother_. Except, I was glared at and met with hesitant smiles and silent whispers. No one saw me as equal to you. Not even Odin.”

Things blurred until he was pinned down by Thor’s hammer and he heard the crack of the Rainbow Bridge. It shattered from Thor’s strength and they start to fall. Loki was jerked to a stop. He looked up and saw Odin holding Thor and Thor holding his staff and him, and there was a strong burn down his side that caused him to almost lose his grip on his staff.

“You win, brother.” At that, Loki let go of his staff, accepting his defeat. He heard Thor screaming in the background of the wind rushing through his hair and past his ears as he fell.

Loki wouldn’t see the flowers that cover him from underarm to hip until many years later, but he wouldn’t be surprised to see Judas flowers mixed with Basil flowers to show the _betrayal_ and _rage_ his father had made him feel.

The next few years came in flashes of strong flares of pain and numbness. Loki couldn’t tell how much time each part lasted. All he knew was that his skin was Frost Giant blue while he was tortured and maimed, bending him to the will of The Other and Thanos. His mouth would never move, not even to scream as something hot was pressed to his frigid skin.

A different burn came one day when he couldn’t stop screaming _No_ in his head. It flared on his neck, causing Loki to spill tears for the first time since the beginning of his imprisonment. He wasn’t numb enough to stop the flowers from blooming. Loki’s best guess to what flower showed up was a Yellow Carnation. He would find out he was right the same time he saw his Judas and Basil flowers.

Things were less blurry when The Other sent him to Earth for the first time. He didn’t want his first trip to be here under an otherworldly trance, but beggars can’t be choosers.

He stepped through the Tesseract portal and found himself taking captives and the scientist who had been looking into the cube with the scepter he had been given. They got out of the crumbling building and Loki’s mind went blank once again.

He came to when he arrived in Germany. This was the clearest his mind has been in a long time. He didn’t try to fight the power that’s holding him because the torture that would follow would not be worth the small amount of freedom.

A fight ensued and something shivered through him when he got apprehended by the man in a gold and red metal suit. A brief thought crossed his mind before it faded quickly.

_I wonder what his Soulmark is._

They get him on a plane and thunder sounds. The sigh that came from Loki’s mouth is frustrated. He finally got to see the face of the man in armor, and he kept getting glimpses of Syringa behind his ear and wanted to see how far it went down.

 _Tony Stark_. That was his name. Another shiver went through his body right before he was taken from the plane. His soul purred when he saw the suit of metal coming after him and Thor.

He managed to escape from the fighting heroes because they were too full of testosterone to notice him slipping away.

The next time he saw Tony Stark was in Stark Tower while Loki was getting ready to open the portal for the Chitauri. Tony made snide comments after Loki turned down a drink.

Loki didn’t know why The Other wanted to take over Tony too. The scepter touched Tony’s chest and there was a clang but no evidence that he had taken Tony’s soul.

“Performance issues?”

Loki grabbed Tony’s throat at his insolence. A striking burn covered his clear hip and he dropped Tony to the floor from the shock. Loki was shocked out of his trance, blinking away the final haze over his vision.

Tony was even more beautiful now that Loki could actually _see_ him. The main thing that caught his attention was the blooms that took shape of his hand around Tony’s throat. The delicate white flowers of Tuberose were even more surprising than the burn. What was more interesting than that was how Loki was going to, or already, meant _dangerous pleasures_ to Stark.

Loki’s hands shook as he pulled at his armor and tried to get underneath it so he could see his newest flower. He looked up at Tony and he looked almost scared.

“Stark, you, I mean, we have…flowers, the flowers. At the same time.”

Tony was scrambling backwards at Loki’s words. Loki tried to follow him, but Tony called a new suit of armor. Loki was in awe at the technology until it was Loki who was being grabbed by the throat and tossed out of one of the biggest windows in Tony’s penthouse.

The glass shattered but Loki didn’t hear it. He could only watch the sky get further away as he felt his heart break for the man who had tossed him aside like dirt. Albeit, he had just been trying to kill Tony and take over New York.

He saw the suit fly out of the tower and Loki couldn’t process what was happening as Iron Man came closer and closer until Loki was swept up from the air and into a plated chest and arms. He had to fight the urge to curl up into the suit and purr. He knew this was the place he was supposed to be even if Tony didn’t want anything to do with him.

They landed on the ground below where Loki had been thrown from, and they were immediately surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki wasn’t really paying attention to his captors because Tony’s faceplate had lifted and he could see the Tuberose peeking out of the suit onto Tony’s neck.

He was handed off to somebody and there was a lot of talking happening around him, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Tony. The man was already speaking with the Captain about how to take apart the portal so no one else could use it.

The doors shut on the S.H.I.E.L.D. truck and Loki’s view was cut off. A soft whine escaped from his lips, but there was no one there to hear it or to help him get back to Tony.

Loki knew they needed to talk about their flowers as soon as possible. Maybe they would let him request a meeting with Tony. Or maybe they wouldn’t since he tried to kill him.

The truck started moving and Loki was starting to doze off a little into the ride. He hadn’t been able to sleep since he fell off the bridge in Asgard. He never felt safe enough to let his guard down that much. But now, being on Earth with Tony, knowing that there was someone who could protect him, he felt almost as safe as he did in his mother’s arms.

He couldn’t say how long he was asleep when he was rudely awakened by the doors opening and someone in something like a SWAT uniform yanking him out by the cuffs around his wrists.

There was an agent on every side of him as he was led into a descriet grey building that could only be a high security prison just for him. He felt special. Right before the guards pushed him into the front doors, Loki saw the jet for the Avengers come in for a landing. The smile on his face was a knowing one.

They had him in a cell that was made of all clear _something_. It wasn’t glass or plastic, but something better and Loki had a sneaking suspicion that it was Tony’s making. He was stewing in the cell for at least two days before he saw anybody else besides his own reflection.

The first visitor was a man named Phil Coulson. He looked familiar from the daze of The Other’s mind control. They talked about his staff and where his mind-controlled servants ended up. Loki was honest and said he didn’t know. There weren’t really any consequences to that because the archer and scientist showed up the next day.

It was closer to five days later when Captain America came to interrogate him.

“What motivated you to invade New York?”

“Nothing, Captain. I was forced against my will to come to Earth.”

“What made you stop?”

Loki tilted his head with an amused smirk on his face. He thought American slang was best for his answer.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The Captain’s cheeks flushed pink, and Loki felt satisfied for the next two days of solitude with the Captain’s angry huff and reddened skin as he stormed out of the room.

A week after the Good Captain left, Black Widow came in. Loki thought she was supposed to seduce the answers out of him, but that didn’t work. She became hostile towards him, but he took none of it. She threatened him and then left silently.

Loki had found the camera in his cell a while ago and stared at it while speaking.

“You’re going to make him your last resort at this rate. I’ll talk to Tony Stark if you turn these cameras off.”

He was met with silence for a few days until the man he had been looking for walked in.

“You rang?”

Loki stood from his spot on the floor and walked up to his barrier.

“Stark, are the cameras off?”

“Yes.”

Loki motioned for Tony to come closer to the cell. He didn’t hesitate and walked right up to where Loki was.

“What do you think of your flowers? What _dangerous pleasures_ do you have in store for me?”

Tony didn’t even flinch at Loki’s words. He smirked even.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they? You leave quite the mark. What about yours?”

Loki lifted his shirt and looked down with Tony to see the bouquet that had been left.

“Ranunculus and a White Rose? Are you really dazzled by my charms?”

It felt like Tony was avoiding the White Rose on purpose. That one was in the middle of Loki’s hip surrounded by a row of the Ranunculus. It meant more. It meant Loki was _worthy of Tony Stark._

The man was being cocky and Loki knew it. He was pretty sure Tony knew he knew it too.

“Your charms are nothing short of dazzling, Stark. But do tell me, what makes me a dangerous pleasure?”

Tony looked like he had to think about it. It had been almost a month and he didn’t know the answer. That seemed off to Loki.

“I’m attracted to you, but I don’t trust you. I feel the connection that’s between us and I want there to be more, but I know you’re a threat to me and everyone around me.”

Loki didn’t know what to expect from Tony’s answer, but that seemed to hit the nail right on the head. He did flinch a little, though, because Loki trusted Tony even after being thrown out of a window.

“Stark, do you think me worthy of you?” There was some hesitation in Loki’s voice, and Loki could tell that that was not what Tony had thought he would say next. This time Tony really thought about it. It made Loki nervous to watch the cogs turn in the genius’ mind. He wanted his flowers to be right.

“I don’t know yet. There hasn’t been any evidence proving that you’re a good person besides Thor’s annoying rants about how you have a good side. He’s the only one who’s ever seen it and that was who knows how long ago.”

Loki felt himself slump away from the cell wall and forced the stinging in his eyes to go away before clearing his voice to speak.

“I can be good for you, Anthony,” Loki started. He could feel his Soul Mark prickling at the idea of not being around Tony anymore. He could barely stand the idea. It was confusing and nothing he was used to, but everything is in the universe was screaming to him to keep Tony around. He would be a fool not to listen. “I want to show you that I am worthy of your time, your life, and your heart. But still have fun while doing it.”

When Loki looked up, Tony’s hand had pressed against the cell wall and he had gotten closer. Loki felt the same urge to be close, moving forwards until he couldn’t get closer without pressing himself against the wall.

“Actions speak louder than words, Reindeer Games.”

Tony dropped his hand and walked out of the room, leaving Loki stunned and a little aroused from his interaction with the other man.

 _Dangerous pleasures_ indeed.

~*~

The crying child was brought to an exhausted Maria. He had tuffs of dark brown hair like his father, and brown eyes like Howard too.

“Welcome to the world, Anthony Stark.” Maria was in awe of her son before her. She never thought she would get to this point in life of being married and having a legacy. She looked down at Anthony’s chest and saw Mezereon in the middle and held him a little closer. Her son was going to have the _desire to please_ for his whole life. Anyone who saw that is going to abuse his heart. It hurt her to know that.

“Come on, Maria, call him Tony. It rolls off the tongue better.” Howard stood by the bed with her, looking just as exhausted.

She chuckled and ran a hand over her son’s head. “Tony it is, then.”

While Maria was making plans to get leather covers for Tony’s wrist, Howard was plotting how to use his son to help him with the company. He was ever the businessman and needed to have things set in stone for his son’s future in the Stark company.

Howard didn’t put anything into effect until Tony was at least walking unassisted. He needed motor skills to build things. What originally stunned Howard, however, that he didn’t have to do anything to get Tony to start building. Tony only had to watch Howard work to try it himself.

When Tony brought his first robot to Howard, Howard had told him how to make it better. To an outsider, though, it looked like Howard was berating his child for a shit job, and that Tony missed many components that should have been common sense.

Around two years old, Maria gave Tony his first leather band for his wrist.

“What’s this for, Mommy?” She gave her son a small smile.

“It’s for your Soulmark, Tony. People are going to see your _desire to please_ and try to take advantage of it. Of you. By wearing this band, you won’t have to worry about people using your heart against you.”

Tony didn’t understand fully, but he held out his wrist for his mom and watched as she tied it around to hide his flower.

Tony continued to try and get his father’s approval, but every time he brought something to show Howard, he was met with harsh words and sometimes a harsher hand.

The first time Howard hit Tony, Tony felt a tingling sensation behind his left ear that turned into burning. Tony screamed at the feeling and his mother came running. When she was able to pry Tony’s fingers away from the spot that hurt, she gasped. She was devastated that her son’s first Flower Mark was Syringa. She had never wanted Tony to feel like he was a _disappointment_.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s just Flower Marks. You know those, right?” Tony nodded as he wiped at his tear stained face. “You’re just getting more flowers.”

“What are they? Are they pretty?”

Maria grabbed a mirror for her son and handed it to him. “You can look for yourself, sweetheart.”

When Tony saw the Syringa, he didn’t know what they meant exactly, but he felt a low feeling sink into his stomach. Tears started to form again.

“These are bad flowers, Mama! I don’t want them!” Tony threw the mirror down and it cracked on the floor. He started to scratch behind his ear to try and get the flower off and Maria was fast to grab Tony’s hands to keep him from hurting himself.

“I know, sweetheart, I know, but they’re important. They’re part of your life’s story.”

Tony sniffled and calmed down at Maria’s words. She pulled him into a hug then lifted him off the ground, moving him to his bedroom.

“Why don’t we play with your new LEGO set, hmm? Can you build something for Mama?”

Her son brightened up and squirmed to get out of her arms and to his toys. She set him down and he was off. Tony was a brilliant boy, and she knew Howard didn’t want to help feed into Tony’s genius, or at least not properly.

As Howard got busier in the world, he and Maria weren’t around as much to look after Tony. It broke Maria’s heart, and Howard hired a butler. His named was Edwin Jarvis, but everyone just called him Jarvis. Tony gravitated towards him quickly and he became the father figure Tony really needed in his youth.

Jarvis became the one Tony grew up with and he was the reason Tony gained a Red Chrysanthemum on his left palm. By now, Tony knew the flowers and their true meanings. He was relieved that he wasn’t only going to be covered in his father’s _disappointment_ but also proof that he can show the world he has a heart. That he _loves_.

Tony’s genius was only proven more when he finished high school at fifteen. On top of that, he was accepted into MIT for engineering and mechanics. Tony thought that was the first time he had even seen pride in his father’s alcohol hazed eyes.

When he started college, Tony was outcasted and ignored because of his age. Then, they found out who he is, or more importantly, who his father was. They begged him for parties and pretended to like him for his money. It was not until he met Rhodey that he knew what friendship is supposed to be like. Rhodey who had Bluebell on his wrist and _constancy_ in his heart. They bonded and one night, when they’re cuddled on Rhodey’s couch, a burn made his skin itch and heat up.

“Rhodey, hey. Look.” Tony lifted his shirt to show a Pink Rose and they started laughing and hugging. It was an honor to be represented on someone’s skin. Rhodey couldn’t wait for the day he got a flower for Tony on his.

It was Tony’s last year at MIT. After four years he had two bachelor’s degrees and was one thesis away from a doctorate. He gets a call from Obadiah Stane, his father’s oldest colleague. His parents had died in a car accident and the company had been left to him. Tony felt himself and his emotions shut down and hung up without saying anything.

Rhodey found him with a needle hanging out of his arm and an empty baggy in his hand. Rhodey couldn’t dial 911 fast enough. He rested Tony’s head on his knees and kept running his hands through his friend’s hair until the paramedics arrived. He rode with him to the hospital and waited until Tony woke up. He didn’t hesitate to start asking questions.

“Tony, what the _hell_ were you thinking? How long have you been using? There’s too much scarring on your arm for this to be a first-time use.”

Tony blinked up at Rhodey, beautiful, gorgeous Rhodey. His only friend and only family besides Jarvis.

“They’re dead. Howard and Mom.” Rhodey grabbed Tony’s hand and laced their fingers together.

“Oh, Tony, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Honeybear. I own the world now. I can get you a better couch.”

Rhodey laughed despite himself. Even now Tony would be cracking jokes. He found out a while ago that Tony did it to cover the hurt and other negative feelings that he had going on.

After Tony was cleared from the hospital, Rhodey never left his side. They went everywhere together. Rhodey was there when Tony is granted his doctorate and Tony was there when Rhodey was deployed for the first time. He was also there every time Rhodey comes back. One trip back, Tony handed Rhodey a piece of paper. It’s negative test results for every recreational drug known to man.

Tony got Stark Industries at twenty-one. During the press conference, Tony felt a burn on his right ribs that felt about the same size as Rhodey’s Pink Rose. Afterwards, he pulled Rhodey with him into a bathroom and looked in the mirror when he pulled his shirt up.

“Fucking – fuck shit. Shit fuck!” Tony groans loudly and looks at Rhodey for guidance. “This was Howard’s Soulmark. Fucking Narcissus is on me. I bet he’d be fucking _smug_ if he knew he had this much of an impression on me.”

Rhodey took Tony’s hands and pulled him into a hug. “Tony, don’t hide the pain. It’s just me. Let it out.” After Rhodey finished, he could feel Tony shaking against him and a small spot on his shirt getting wet. Tony had always been a silent crier. Probably learned how to do it to hide it from Howard. “That’s good. There you go.” Rhodey started to rub his friend’s back and held him tighter with his other hand. “You won’t let him have that much satisfaction. I know you won’t, you suborn asshole.” The shaking after that was a laugh instead of crying. It was a win from Rhodey’s perspective.

A few months later, Tony was flying back to California to say goodbye to Jarvis. His daughter called to say he was in his last few days before they thought he was going to pass away. Tony got there just in time to say his farewells.

“I hope I made you proud, Jarvis. You were always like a father to me.” Tony held his hand in both of his, tears falling down his cheeks.

“Sir Anthony, you have always made me proud. You are brilliant and you’re going to do things that change the world.” The smile Jarvis gave him was weak and it broke Tony.

Tony held up his hand to show the Red Chrysanthemum. “This one was for you, buddy. I’ll have something to remember you by forever.” Jarvis smiled a little bit wider. Tony had never shown him the flower before. But it felt right for him to know that he would have a lasting impact on the person Tony was going to be.

Until visiting hours were over, Tony and Jarvis talked. They caught up with each other’s gossip. Tony told him that he had a Narcissus flower for Howard’s _pride_ in himself and not in Tony. He learned about Rhodey who was overseas. Tony told him everything.

It only took two more days before Jarvis was gone. A Cypress flower bloomed onto Tony’s other palm at the funeral. _Death_ was now written into his skin for the one man that showed him compassion growing up.

When he was back in New York, Rhodey still wasn’t back from his deployment so there was no one to stop him from coding the smartest AI he was ever sought out to do. It took months to get it right. When Rhodey comes home, Tony told him about his AI first.

“He’s just a rather very intelligent system, Rhodey. Say hi.”

“Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel.”

Rhodey looked up all around him, maybe trying to see if there was anyone dangling from the ceiling as a prank.

“Why did you make an AI, Tony? What aren’t you telling me?”

Tony huffed and fell onto his couch. “Jarvis passed away when you were gone. I got to say goodbye to him, and I told him about you and my other flowers. You weren’t back yet so I made an AI in his memory. Rhodey, meet JARVIS, my AI.”

Rhodey sat with his friend and put his feet on his legs, pulling off Tony’s shoes and rubbing circles into his soles. Rhodey didn’t say any more, though.

“You have rights to override commands I give J.” That made Rhodey pause. He wasn’t surprised but he was intrigued.

“Are you finally aware of your bad habits?”

“No, but J is, and he told me to give you override capabilities.”

“I think I’m going to like him.”

Tony made some calls to MIT and brought back his friend from his time there. DUM-E was Tony’s first AI, and it wouldn’t be a home without all his children. U and Butterfingers follow soon. The smile that Tony gets doesn’t leave for a long time.

He hired a Pepper Potts with Black Poplar in her heart, and it shows. They mesh well and there’s a short time where Tony thought he could love her, but it passed when he saw the way Pepper looked at Happy.

“Sir, Miss Potts is here to see you.”

“Go ahead and send her down.” Tony looked up when he heard Pepper enter and he notices the Forget-Me-Nots down her left arm. “I guess a congratulations is in order.” A light pink shade colored Peppers cheeks and it was adorable.

“Thank you, but that’s not why I’m here. I wanted you to know that Rhodey is coming back early for his leave.”

“How early?”

“Sir, Colonel Rhodes is outside,” JARVIS announced

Tony sprinted out of his workshop to meet Rhodey outside. He missed the fond smile on Pepper’s face as he passed her. Rhodey was still getting his suitcases out of the town car when Tony tackled him.

“Woah there, Tones! You’ll knock me over.” Tony held onto Rhodey for dear life. It had been over a year since they last saw each other. Tony had missed his best friend.

“Sorry, not sorry, Honeybear. You’re going to get a needy Tony this week.” Rhodey chuckled and scooped Tony into his arms and carried him through the threshold.

Later that night, when Rhodey was all moved back in, Tony had his head in his friend’s lap and Rhodey was running his fingers through his hair while they watched some movie about a guy in a red suit that killed for money.

“Rhodey, why didn’t we ever get together?” Rhodey paused the movie and looked down at Tony.

“Did you ever have feelings for me, Tones?” Tony shook his head. “Well there’s your answer.”

Tony huffed in annoyance and sat up to look Rhodey in the eyes. “What about you, then? Did you ever feel anything for me?”

“You mean beside contemptment and frustration?” Tony hit his arm for that one. “Well yeah, Tones, but it never _bloomed_ into anything. And I’m happy being like this.” Tony started to frown but Rhodey wasn’t having any of it. “Tony, no, stop. Don’t do that.”

Tony wrapped his arms around Rhodey’s neck, holding on tight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. You’re thinking about putting feelings I had in MIT over your feelings now.” Tony shook his head and at the same time nuzzled his face closer into Rhodey’s neck to where he could smell Rhodey’s cologne.

“MIT? Really? You had feelings for me when I was a complete dipshit?”

“Before you were a dipshit, actually. When things started to go down, I knew you needed a friend more than a lover. The Pink Rose proved it.”

Tony thought about that flower a lot when Rhodey was abroad. He saw it as a symbol that Rhodey was always going to come back. He wished that Rhodey had one for him, though. It’d make their friendship even better.

“If things didn’t get blown to fuck, do you think anything would have changed?”

Rhodey thought about it. Tony could practically see the cogs turning. It took a while and Tony was starting to doze off when Rhodey finally answered.

“I don’t think so. You would have still gotten the Pink Rose for me. Our friendship was destined by the unknown forces of the universe.” Tony chuckled and sat back up to see his friend.

“I could never date you anyway. You snore too loud.” Tony had to run away after that, seeing that Rhodey tried to tackle and then tickle him for the jab.

The next time Tony saw Rhodey was when Tony went overseas to show the Jericho off to the army. Rhodey was his escort of sorts. The demonstration went according to plan and then the two split ways into different Humvees to get back to base.

“I’ll be in the funvee. You’re missing out, Honey.”

Moments later, there was an explosion and the Humvee was stopping and Tony was being told to stay in the vehicle while he watched soldiers get shot. He got out because he had to help or find Rhodey, except another explosion went off. He saw it, though. _Stark Industries_. He was being attacked by his own weapons. The last thing he saw before blacking out was his bulletproof vest pooling with his blood.

There was _pain_ . So much _pain_. Could they just kill him already? This was too much. There might be a hole in his chest but he was too out of it to have a grasp on what was happening.

When he woke up without the haze of pain, he was in a cave and there was a not-so-dull pain in the center of his sternum. Tony looked down and saw a magnet in his chest being powered by a car battery.

“Try not to strain yourself.” An unfamiliar voice came from the other side of the room. Tony saw a plain man with glasses and bald on the top of his head. He was dressed nicely for someone who was stuck in a cave.

Tony sat up slowly, holding the battery to his chest. It was literally his life line.

“What’s going on? Why do I have a car battery connected to my heart?”

“You’re in a cave being run by The Ten Rings, a terrorist organization. You have bomb shrapnel in your chest. That magnet is keeping the shrapnel from tearing apart your heart.”

The hole that was made for the magnet had taken away his Soulmark. The smaller picture of it was still on his covered wrist, but no one would see his Mezereon when he was shirtless. Only a crude device keeping him alive and disgusting wounds.

“Do you know why I’m here?” The man shook his head. “Are you with them?” Another shake. “Who are you, then?”

“My name is Yinsen. I put the magnet in your chest.” Tony was very impressed. But he was going to need something wireless if he was going to benefit from a magnet in his chest.

“Thank you. I’m sure I’d be dead without your help.”

“You’re correct.”

Five people burst through the door and Yinsen was yelling at him to get on his knees and put his hands behind his head. Tony did it as quickly as possible without hurting himself.

Yinsen was there to translate, it seemed. They wanted him to build a Jericho out of parts and weapons they already had. It was revolting to see all of his weapons on a terrorist base. Tony agreed to build it just so he could get the parts he needed to survive and get out of that cave. But it took more than them just asking to get to that point.

It took weeks of torture and almost drowning to get him to even think about it. Yinsen was begging him to _just build the weapon_ , but Tony couldn’t. Not until he had an idea on how to get out. When he did, he couldn’t stop.

Tony started with a miniature arc reactor. It was like the one he had powering his factories back in New York, but significantly smaller. It got him weird looks from the members of the Ten Rings because they could tell he wasn’t making what they asked for at all.

The head guy came in a month into building to check in. Tony had his arc reactor and was planning out his get-away suit of armor when he showed up. They grabbed Yinsen and almost stuck a hot coal down his throat before Tony caved in and gave them a timeframe for when he would be done.

The Ten Rings kept a 24/7 watch on Tony. They needed it because Tony never slept. He only worked and barely ate the scraps they gave him. Yinsen was always at his side, helping build and plan their escape.

On deploy day, Tony started to suit up out of view of the cameras. He knew they knew something was off when shouting could be heard outside of the door into his cell.

“It’s time, Mr. Stark.” They started to power up the suit and the lights cut out when it was fully charged. The sound of the arc reactor accepting the charge was music to Tony’s ears. He started shooting bullets at anyone who came for him, Yinsen leading the way.

Tony had to watch in terror as the man that had become his friend ran into the fire. Tony followed after him as fast as he could, taking down anyone and everyone. When Tony made it to the front of the cave, he found Yinsen on the ground.

Tony pushed his faceplate off to look down at his friend, dying in the rubble.

“Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life.”

Those would be the words Tony kept with him the rest of his life.

The next few moments were filled with flames and heat, burning and blowing up the weapons the camp had stashed, making sure every last one was gone and they couldn’t rebuild any of them all the way down to the bullets.

There was a short burst of relief as he flew away from the camp. He was away from the dark cave and the torture it caused. The relief ended when Tony’s suit started to lose its power and the pieces were lost to the wind. He crash-landed into the sand in such a magnificent feat that only Tony Stark could have done it.

He wandered after that. He didn’t know where he was going, the direction, or for how long he went. He used his top shirt as a shield from the sun. It didn’t help much, but at least he could see ahead of him.

A week or a day later, Tony heard the beautiful sound of a helicopter coming his way. The strength in his knees gave out and he head his hands in the air with peace signs.

Shade covered him in a body he was familiar with. Tony leaned into Rhodey with a pleased smile on his face. Rhodey always came back.

“Next time you ride with me.”

When Tony was back in the States, Pepper was there waiting for him with tears in her eyes.

“Is there anything I can get for you, Tony?”

“I want two American cheeseburgers and a press conference.”

 _No more weapons._ Even Rhodey was confused. Stane was furious, Tony could tell, but he hid it behind his naturally paternal behavior.

Pepper had his back, though. Which in turn got him a second Pink Rose on his other hip. Tony was hesitant to show her, but she was so happy to be on his skin.

When Rhodey got a break from his superiors, he visited Tony in New York.

“Hey buddy. How are you doing?” Tony smiled up at Rhodey from his spot on the couch, his arm still in a sling.

“I’m doing good. I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me. You wouldn’t do that to me, right, Honeybear?” Rhodey sat next to Tony on his good side and rested his head on Tony’s shoulder.

“Of course not, Tones. But I do have something to show you.” Rhodey stood back up and started to unbuckle his belt and pull down his pants. They fell to Rhodey’s ankles. Tony was too stunned as first to really process what was happening but then he saw Rhodey’s thigh. Right in the middle was a giant Red Peony. Rhodey’s _devotion_ to finding Tony was clear and shocking.

“You have a flower for me,” Tony said slowly like he was sounding out the words on his tongue before saying them out loud.

“And it’s about damn time too. I thought I would have gotten this the first time I picked your sorry ass up from that frat party.” Tony and Rhodey laughed together.

“You know, you’ll only be able to wear daisy dukes around me now. Do you know what this will do for my ego?”

“Like it isn’t big enough already?” Rhodey shook his head with a soft smile as he pulled his pants back on and sat with Tony again. This time Tony leaned into Rhodey, pressing his nose into his friend’s neck.

“Thank you for coming back for me.”

“I’ll always come back for you, Tones.”

When Tony was laying on the couch, paralyzed by his own tech and going into cardiac arrest, he wished Rhodey was there to save him again. Even Pepper would be more help than his unmoving body.

It was Stane. Always Stane, selling his product to terrorists and paying them to kill Tony. Stane was also stealing his new arc reactor to power his own suit.

As soon has Tony had enough feeling in his body, Tony crawled to his workshop the best he could. He saw his first reactor on the counter, but he couldn’t reach it. He didn’t have enough strength.

_Crash!_

Tony looked over to see DUM-E in front of him and a smashed glass container on the floor. Tony got the reactor in his chest and took an _amazingly_ deep breath. His heart was back on track and he was already on the move to get into his Iron Man suit.

Pepper was being attacked by Stane and Tony would not have that. Stane’s suit was bigger and heavier than his, but he knew that he hadn’t thought of the ice. Tony shot up into the sky until Stane’s suit shut down, having him crash land back into the factory building.

He’s yelling at Pepper to blow up the arc reactor to kill Stane. Possibly kill him too. But saved Pepper. That’s what matters.

Tony dodges the blast just barely and he lives. Tony lives and it’s honestly a miracle. He feels a burning low on his ribs and he doesn’t want to know what it is. He knows it won’t be good, whatever the flower turns out to be.

He has to give a press conference about the blast at Stark Industries and the mysterious Iron Man in the sky. Well he has one thing to say to that.

“I am Iron Man.”

That night, he looks in the mirror at his Narcissus flower and his newly formed Judas flower on his right side. The _egotism_ of Howard matched with the _betrayal_ of Stane. It’s only made less of a sting because also on his right side he has the Pink Rose from Rhodey. Someone who won’t ever put something like a Judas flower on his body.

A couple years down the road, Tony started an internship program through Stark Industries to bring three of the brightest minds around the world to New York. He would pay for everything from housing to food to a full ride to any college they got accepted to.

The interns had been there for a few months before Tony got the chance to meet them. He was preoccupied by Research and Development, but that didn’t keep him from sneaking glances at one of them. His hair was brown and a wild mop of fluff on the top of his head. His eyes were a deep shade of something. Tony was too far away to see.

When Tony was finally able to make his way over to the group of interns doing their own research, he didn’t start with the one who had caught his eye, but the young woman behind him. She was brilliant and when she reached for some experimental numbers, she knocked one of her beakers off the table. The boy in front, however, caught it without turning around. That caught Tony’s attention immediately.

With final thoughts towards the young woman, Tony moved to Mr. Reflexes. They bantered a little bit and it was cute. _Peter_ was flustered around him. The feeling of pride from someone finding you attractive never went away.

They shake hands to say goodbye and Tony regrets it. He feels a sharp burning in the only blank area on his ride side. The pain makes him flinch on top of seeing Peter flinch too. _Oh no_.

Tony’s mind went blank. Everything around him went into slow motion, including Peter’s hand moving up to rest over his ribs. That has to be where the flower is. Tony doesn’t even reach for his.

Peter’s talking but it barely processes.

“Uhh, actually, kid, I have to go. It was nice meeting you.”

Tony stumbled out of the lab, sending condolences to the last intern. He couldn’t be in there right now. He was also getting too old for this. His first time having flowers bloom at the same time as someone else, and it was with one of his interns.

He locked himself in his office and leaned against the shut door. He could feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest from the encounter and running away. Tony gasped at the sudden realization that he didn’t know what his new flower was. He rummaged for his phone in his pocket before finally getting it and opening the front camera.

When Tony lifted his shirt, there was a small bunch of Angelica flowers touching the petals of the Pink Rose Rhodey put there. They were white and delicate. Tony ran two fingers over the freshly changed skin gently. It was still warm. The flowers didn’t lie. Tony was definitely _inspired_ by Peter Parker.

Despite the flowers being right, Tony was terrified. He hadn’t been trained for this. He never thought he’d be one of the lucky ones to get a bloom at the same time as someone else. Especially since he didn’t have that with Rhodey and that was his closest friend.

With his phone still in his hand, Tony called said friend.

“Tones, this better be important.”

“Rhodey, I have a bond. I bloomed flowers with someone else when we touched and I’m kind of freaking out.”

“I’m on my way.” _Click_.

Rhodey got there a few hours later and Tony told him everything from who it was to how it happened and what flower he got. When Tony said he ran away, Rhodey glared at him.

“Tony, you know you have to talk to him. Your bond depends on it.”

“I can’t, Rhodey. He’s a kid. _And_ my employee, technically. I do have some morals.” There was a pause and they both laughed hard at that. “I’m not kidding! It’s not the right time.”

Rhodey sighed. “There’s no good time for these things, Tony. You were quick to show me my flower on your skin. What’s so different about it this time?”

Rhodey was right, as always. Tony knew he shouldn’t have run away, but he also didn’t want to have a panic attack in front of his interns, much less the guy who _inspires_ him.

“We don’t have a bond like this, Honeybear, as much as I know you wish we did.” Rhodey punched him in the arm for that. “It’s scary.” His friend wrapped him up in his arms and Tony felt calm and secure in that space where he could hear Rhodey’s heartbeat.

“Talk to him, Tones.”

Tony didn’t. But he did make friends with the newest hero out on the streets. Spider-Man might want to be a part of the Avengers. Tony was fond of the web-head. He had a sense of familiarity.

The night after Tony met Spider-Man, Peter stuck a piece of paper into Tony’s pocket. They had been lightly flirting and the kid had had a confidence boost.

 _If you ever want to talk about our flowers, I’m always free_.

Tony saved the phone number into his phone and shot off a quick text to Peter to let him know he got his note. The following night, Spider-Man declined his offer to be an Avenger. Then he backflipped off a building. “What a stud,” Tony thought to himself.

That night, Tony got to sleep for the first time since his Angelica formed. He even got to dream. There was Angelica flowers mixed with Hawthorn flowers. An awake Tony would have questioned the flowers of _hope_ , but in his dream state, Tony was satisfied.

A few years past by and Tony never said a word to Peter about their flowers, but damn him if he didn’t try to keep the bond intact. Tony made time to see Peter as often as possible. They had coffee dates and worked one-on-one in Peter’s lab. Yes, Peter got his own lab. The summer part of the internship had ended and everyone needed to start college once again, sending the other two back to their countries.

It was easy for Tony to figure out Peter was Spider-Man. He didn’t try to change his voice at all when he was in the suit. That basically gave it away.

Tony gave Peter an updated suit as a way to say ‘hey, I know you’re the web-head.’ Peter was embarrassed at first but then he tried out the suit with Tony’s guidance. It was the best of their works combined from Peter’s web tech to Tony’s AI genius.

Two years passed without any huge Avengers drama. Peter had his villains to face, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d ask for help if he needed it.

Then there was Loki in a S.H.I.E.L.D. compound. Loki in Germany with his sunken-in eyes and the blue glow he had in his staff. Tony meets Thor who is just so much _fun_. But they lose Loki in the midst of everything.

New York becoming a battle ground is becoming more and more likely. Rhodey is in another part of the world being Iron Patriot, so there’s no one to rescue him, really.

“He’s at my tower. I’ll go stall him until you guys get here.” The rest of the Avengers nod and give their acceptance over the coms. Except for one.

“Mr. Stark, you can’t! He’ll kill you.” Tony turns to face Peter. He was in his Iron Spider uniform, but the mask was gone. Peter rushed up to him and grabbed onto one of Tony’s gauntlets in a way to try to keep him from leaving. Tony turned off both their coms for some privacy before he left.

“Kid, I have to. Don’t worry, I won’t let him close enough to try.”

That was big lie at this point. Loki pressed his staff to his arc reactor, but nothing happened.

“Performance issues?”

There was a hand on his throat before he could blink and Tony knew he fucked up. Not only to the Avengers, but to Peter. They didn’t even get to talk about their flowers because Tony was a complete disaster. A strong burn Tony hadn’t felt in the last two years started to pick up under Loki’s hand. Tony watched as Loki’s eyes turned from icy blue to a striking green. Next thing he knew, he was dropping to the ground.

Tony felt terrified as Loki started to take his clothes off, but he paused when he looked up at Tony.

“Stark, you, I mean, we have…flowers, the flowers. At the same time.”

Tony moved away as fast as he could, his breathing starting to get out of control. He panicked and called his armor to him with his wristlets. He was up and grabbing Loki by the throat. With a quick toss of his arm, Loki was soaring through the window to Tony’s penthouse.

“Shit!” Tony flew out after Loki when he realized what he had just done. He was able to get the god in the nick of time. Tony set Loki on his feet and flipped his faceplate up. Loki was looking right back at him. Quickly, Loki was taken from him and pushed into a S.H.I.E.L.D. truck.

“Iron Man, are you injured?” Tony turned towards the voice to see Cap coming his way.

“I’m safe and sound, Cap. Just a little shaken up.” Steve put his arm around Tony’s shoulders and led him to the Quinjet that was waiting to take them to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

They got there about the same time Loki was being led inside by a guard detail fit for the Queen herself.

They had Tony, the rest of the Avengers, and Peter in rooms on the opposite side of the building from where they were keeping Loki. Tony was able to look at his new flowers that night when he was finally alone.

When Tony saw the Tuberose in the shape of Loki’s hand, he felt his heart flutter. Tony knew he was king of being attracted to _dangerous pleasures_. Loki was just icing on the cake.

Then Tony took a step back from that thought process. He had two bonds. Peter Parker, the boy genius who _inspired_ him and Loki, the magical man full of _dangerous pleasures._

Tony knew he had to talk to both of them at some point. Things were starting to catch up to him. He was in the middle of sending Peter a text to come to his room when there was a knock at the door.

Tony sighed and made his way to open it. He didn’t even get to see who was there before he was quickly brought into a lung-constricting hug. Tony knew that lithe body and wrapped his arms around the slim waist tightly.

“Oh, thank god, you’re safe. I was so worried about you, Mr. Stark.” Tony felt the shuttering breath of relief against his neck and he only held tighter.

“I was worried about you, too, kid.” Tony pulled back to look at Peter in full. “Are you okay? Any injuries?” Anything Peter was going to say looked like it got stuck in his throat. Tony made the connection when he realized where Peter was staring. Tony covered his newest flowers with his hand. “Are they that ugly?”

“Did Loki give you those?” Tony couldn’t read Peter’s face so instead of speaking, he just nodded. “Did he get flowers at the same time?” Another nod. Then silence and a lot of it.

“Peter, please say something. You’re freaking me out.”

Peter looked into Tony’s eyes for a long moment, seemingly finding what he needed, then took off his shirt. Tony realized he was baring his whole life to him. He had his own Cypress flowers. Three of them.

“Don’t pay attention to anything else. Look here.” Peter pointed to the top of ribs to show specific blooms. Peter had Purple Roses below a long scar that stopped at his sternum. “These are yours. The ones you didn’t ask about for two years. Now, I’m showing you.”

Tony kept staring at the blooms. When he reached out to touch it, he felt Peter shiver and goosebumps rise. With a final resolve, Tony lifted his shirt to show the Angelica resting above his waistband. “And these are yours, Peter. You’re my _inspiration_.”

Peter’s eyes bounced between the flowers and Tony’s face. Then something clicked. “Oh god, you’re serious. Those are mine?” With a tight nod from him, Peter moved forward and pressed his whole hand over the Angelica. His touch was soft, but it felt like electricity through his veins.

Tony breathed out a soft _Peter_ . It was all he could do because he was having trouble getting enough air into his lungs to say anything else. In this moment, Tony knew the bond between them was meant to be romantic and physical. They both wanted it _so much_.

“Are you _enchanted_ by me, Peter?” Peter looked up into Tony’s eyes again. The brown was so deep in Peter’s. Tony felt like he could fall forever.

Before Peter could answer, another knock came from the door. They blinked and the spell was broken and Tony was pulling his shirt down in a flurry to get to the door. When Tony glanced back, Peter’s shirt was back on. With a deep breath, he opened the door to Captain America.

“Steve, now is not the best time. I’m talking with my mentee.” Tony could see Peter’s blush as he hurried out before Tony could stop him. “Okay, never mind. What’s up, Capsicle?”

“Loki isn’t talking. I’m going to investigate him in a few days. We’re keeping you out of it.”

“The hell you are.”

“Tony, there’s no room for arguing. Everyone knows why those flowers are on your neck.” Steve had a point and he agreed with it. The only problem with it was that a few weeks later, they were dragging Tony to Loki’s cell to talk to him.

“Did he have any requests?”

“He wants the cameras turned off, but we can’t do that.” Tony was perturbed by that and had his phone set up to buzz out the cameras anyway. He would have a limited amount of time before they dragged him out of the room.

He slid in easily. “You rang?” He watched Loki walk up to the edge of the cell then followed suit when Loki gestured him forward. On is way, he blanked out the cameras.

Tony got to see the flowers he left on Loki. It was more than one type and they were all beautiful.

“Ranunculus and a White Rose? Are you really dazzled by my charms?” He didn’t know what to think about the White Rose. He didn’t think anyone had to prove they were worthy of _him_. It was quite the opposite in Tony’s opinion.

“Your charms are nothing short of dazzling, Stark. But do tell me: what makes me a _dangerous pleasure_?” He hadn’t thought of that. Honestly, he was too preoccupied by his half-confession to Peter that he hadn’t been focusing on Loki.

He gave his best answer. He saw what they could have, but he also saw the danger that followed Loki like a shadow.

“Stark, do you think me worthy of you?” _Yes_ is what Tony wanted to say automatically. Of course Tony thought Loki was worthy, but that wasn’t what he really felt.

“I don’t know yet. There hasn’t been any evidence proving that you’re a nice person besides Thor’s annoying rants about how you have a good side. He’s the only one who’s ever seen it and that was who knows how long ago.”

Tony regretted what he said immediately. Loki sank away from the cell wall and lowered his eyes away from Tony’s. What he heard from Loki, though, gave him hope.

“I can be good for you, Anthony. I want to show you that I am worthy of your time, your life, and your heart. But still have fun while doing it.”

He couldn’t help himself and pressed his hand against the divide between them, pressing himself against it. He had a strong urgency to be close to Loki, needed to comfort him.

“Actions speak louder than words, Reindeer Games.”

When Tony was out of the room Loki was being held in, Fury was waiting for him.

“What the hell was that, Stark?”

“Flirting.”

Peter heard about Tony getting dragged to Loki’s cell that morning. He was anxious to know what happened because of the Tuberose on Tony’s neck. Tony doesn’t even try to hide it and it strikes a nerve with Peter. He had to wait two years before Tony showed him his. Not that Peter was complaining. Being that close to Tony, that much intimacy, was everything he thought it would be and more.

Now, though, Peter was sitting in front of Tony’s door, waiting for him to come back. He hears the familiar strut and scrambles to stand up before Tony gets there. He would have been successful at nonchalance if he wasn’t out of breath.

“Kid, what are you doing outside my door?” Tony didn’t bother to look up as he dug in his pocket for his room key.

“I was waiting for you. What did you and Loki talk about?” Tony did look up at that, though.

“Nothing you should concern yourself with.” Tony gets the door to his room open and he lets Peter in first. Or rather, Peter pushed past Tony to get in.

“I think I should concern myself with someone who also got flowers for you like I did. Did he show you his?”

Tony took his time answering as he took his shoes and socks off. When he was sitting on his bed, Tony answered Peter.

“Peter, what’s this all about?” That was all Peter needed as an answer.

“Why did it take two years for us to share flowers and you only needed a month for Loki?”

Tony looked tired and slightly frustrated with Peter. Peter couldn’t help it. He knew what he was meant to have with Tony and he didn’t know how Loki fit into that.

“Maybe because the Tuberose covers my entire neck? Can’t really hide that, now can I?”

Peter groaned in annoyance because Tony wasn’t _getting it_.

“You could have started wearing the paints as soon as it happened. But you didn’t. You let everyone know where those flowers came from. It was easy to connect the dots to know who gave them to you.” Peter let out a harsh breath when he was done. It was then he realized he was covering the Purple Rose protectively and Tony’s eyes burned holes into the back of Peter’s hand.

“Peter, do you think I’m ashamed of you? That I’m embarrassed to have your flower on my skin?”

Peter choked back a sob and nodded his head quickly. Why else would Tony not want to talk about their flowers for so long? He couldn’t picture another reason why besides not being _good enough_ for Tony Stark.

Peter saw bare feet come into his view then strong arms wrapped around him. He tensed at first but then slowly wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist, pulling himself closer.

“I’m sorry, Pete, for letting you think that. It’s not true at all.” The other man sighed softly. “I’m bad at talking about emotions. This is even choking me up and not in the fun way.” Peter laughed at that, but he also felt his cheeks heat up and redden at the innuendo. “But it was kind of cute to see you jealous.”

Peter pushed himself away from Tony, huffing defensively. “It was not cute.”

“But you do admit to being jealous.”

Peter looked at Tony with very intense confusion. “Yeah, duh, I was jealous. I wasn’t _trying_ to hide that. One night I’m thinking we can finally work on us, and then you’re _flirting_ with someone who was going to destroy New York.”

Tony looked like he didn’t know how to handle the situation. Peter didn’t know what he was doing either but in a rush of _better do this now or you’ll chicken out_ he walked back up to Tony and kissed the corner of his mouth. In the last second, Peter couldn’t make it the real deal so he settled. But it had the same effect.

Peter could tell Tony was shocked. His mouth was slightly open and he kept blinking rapidly.

“And before you say it, I did not miss.” Peter placed a sweet kiss on Tony’s cheek then left the room. When he got back to his room, he accidentally slammed the door closed. He leaned against the door and braced himself with his arms on either side of him.

He almost kissed Tony. He _almost_ kissed Tony. Peter was angry that he didn’t have the courage to just be half an inch to the left. But something didn’t feel right about it being out of jealousy or frustration. He wanted it to be a sweet moment. Like the moment they were having before Captain America so _rudely_ interrupted.

Tomorrow was his last day at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, so he took that night to start packing all the casual clothes and his spider suit. Peter was looking forward to adjusting and fixing rips in it. He left out what he was going to wear home which was the most comfortable clothes he had with him.

The next morning, Peter found out Tony was staying until Loki is released from the holding cell. With the knowledge of Tony’s flowers, it made sense that he would be Loki’s escort home.

Tony met him at the jet to say goodbye. Peter got a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest and held onto Tony’s blazer for a minute longer.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Another kiss landed on the top of his ear. Tony stepped away and gave Peter a light shove. “Now get out of here, or you’ll miss the jet back home.” Peter kissed Tony’s cheek with a slight blush and ran onto the jet. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t go home.

The ride back was frustratingly long. Peter wanted to be in his lab, and sleep in his bed in a room that Tony had so graciously given to him. When they finally landed, Peter was first to get off and was hopping into the car waiting for him.

“Alright, Happy. Back to the tower. Please.” Peter was giddy and bouncing in his seat the drive back. Nothing had gone the way he had expected the last month, but most of it was a welcomed change.

Once in the tower, Peter gave a quick hello to JARVIS and rushed to his lab.

“Welcome back, Mr. Parker. Did you have a good trip?” Peter started laughing and he couldn’t stop. He had to sit down and catch his breath he was laughing so hard.

“Yes, JARVIS! Mr. Stark and I talked about our blooms. It was fantastic!” Peter spun in his chair, hugging himself.

JARVIS didn’t reply, but Peter could feel the AI give a sigh in relief.

Peter pulled his suit out of his bag and looked at it sadly. “J, can you give me diagnostics on my suit, please?” And that was that. Peter dove into fixing his suit, only to resurface for food and bathroom breaks.

A couple weeks went by before he heard anything about Tony coming back to the tower. All the Avengers started trickling in as they were not needed at HQ anymore. Peter got the help of Bruce about three days after he got back. That made his suit adjustments go by faster and they finished it in about a week.

By now, Peter was messing with his web shooters to give them a little more strength. His phone went off with a _ding_ and Peter smiled when he saw it was from Tony. They hadn’t really been talking recently because Peter was knee deep in science and Tony was dealing with getting Loki out of jail.

_I’ll be home with Loki by tomorrow night._

Peter was happy with that, but Tony wasn’t done sending messages. They came in separately, each with a resounding _ding_.

_We’ll talk more once I get Loki settled_

_I hope you didn’t burn down the lab_

_I miss you._

Peter could have cried at the last one. He shot off a quick _miss you too_ then put his phone on silent to keep from getting distracted. He was about to start doing very intricate work that needed his full focus.

Somewhere between finishing his web shooters and reading in his in-lab lounge, Peter fell asleep. He was woken up by JARVIS who was speaking at a low volume.

“Mr. Parker, Sir is back in the tower with Mr. Loki.”

Peter sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. He thanked JARVIS in a quiet mumble before getting up to tidy the place. Tony was home earlier than Peter expected and he had made a mess.

The door slid open to his lab and there stood Tony in all his glory. Next to him was Loki. He looked a lot better now that he wasn’t trying to take over the world. He was the reason Peter hesitated running up to Tony.

“Oh, come here.” Tony opened his arms and Peter ran into them, wrapping his arms around Tony’s shoulders tightly. There was a press of lips to where his neck met his shoulder and Peter shivered. “Missed you, kid,” Tony whispered into his neck.

Peter held on tighter. The hug must have lasted a little too long because Peter heard Loki cough behind them. Tony slowly pulled away, leaving one hand on Peter’s waist as he laced his fingers with Loki’s.

That’s when Peter noticed the Amaryllis covering Loki’s hands. They were beautiful and Peter hadn’t expected to see so much _pride_ on Loki’s skin in such a specific place. When Peter looked up to meet Loki’s eyes, his eyes caught on the Heliotrope on his cheekbone. The delicate _devotion_ was stunning.

“Peter, this is Loki. Loki, this is Peter Parker. Peter also has blooms for me.” Peter was entranced by Loki’s eyes. They sparkled with mischief and the green was unearthly. Loki let go of Tony’s hand to shake Peter’s.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Peter. Stark could not stop talking about you.” That made Peter blush but also it snapped him out of his trance. Peter tightened his grip on Loki’s hand and gave it a firm shake.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Loki. I hope Mr. Stark only told you the good parts.” When Peter finished his introduction, there’s a tight burn on Peter’s ribs. Loki takes a half a step backwards as he flinches and covers his hip with two hands.

At this rate, Peter is never going to shake hands with anyone every again. He keeps getting flowers for attractive men and it’s not fair. Past that, though, the whole room is frozen and it doesn’t seem like anyone is breathing.

“Well, this is an unexpected surprise.” Peter and Loki’s heads whip to look at Tony who was the first to break the silence. “I think I’ll leave you two to it, then.”

Peter grabs his arm to stop him from leaving and Loki speaks.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay? You’re a part of this too.”

Tony shakes his head and grabs Loki’s hand. “I won’t over step my bounds. Have JARVIS get me when you two are done talking.” With a kiss to Peter’s cheek and a squeeze to Loki’s hand, Tony left the lab. Peter’s gaze went back to Loki. He had to swallow hard at the sheer beauty of the man.

Peter starts to take his shirt off, but Loki stops him with a light hand on Peter’s wrist. “I want you to know I understand how personal these flowers are to you. I know that what you’re about to show me is important and life changing. If you don’t want to cement the bond with me, I will understand that too.”

He hadn’t even thought about _not_ showing his blooms to Loki. He knew he wanted to though. Peter looked down at the flowers on Loki’s hands for a brief second then continued to take his shirt off. He watched Loki’s eyes track all of his flowers then took Loki’s hand in his, placing it over where his skin had burned.

“What are they? Are they pretty?” Peter couldn’t take his eyes off Loki’s face, watching and paying close attention to the emotions that flew through them.

“They’re beautiful. You have Witch Hazel blooms.”

“ _A spell_ . You _are_ wicked, Mr. Loki. I hope that’s not a hint that you have casted one over me.”

Loki chuckled at that and shook his head. It was a low rumble from the chest and Peter could have floated in it.

“The way you look at me makes it seem like I have without knowing it.” Peter felt Loki’s thumb move over the blooms and it made his eyes flutter. “You are a precious thing, aren’t you?”

That’s when Loki’s thumb rubbed over one of Peter’s scars and Peter tensed under Loki’s hand. Loki’s face turned into something of wonder as realization dawned in his eyes.

“You’re like me.” It’s whispered out on a breath. “You changed bodily forms because this one makes you feel more comfortable. I do the same!” Loki got louder as his excitement grew. Peter’s confusion grew with Loki’s increasing excitement.

“What do you mean?” He was subconsciously angling his body away from Loki so he couldn’t see.

Without any more words, Loki’s skin began to shift and a green glow filled his veins. Peter watched in amazement as Loki’s appearance started to change in subtleties. His chin smoothed out and he became an inch shorter. His shirt became more shear and the leather pants he was wearing became tighter.

“I also change forms so I can be more comfortable in my body. I believe the Midgardian term for this one in particular is non-binary. This version of me uses they and them pronouns.”

Peter almost cried. He also wanted to hug Loki, so he did. Their body was soft and pliant once the shock wore off from the sudden physical affection. Slim but strong arms found their way around Peter’s shoulders and held him close.

“So you’re…genderfluid?”

“And you’re transgender.”

Peter held on tighter. It had never been this easy before. He didn’t have to come out to Loki. They had just _known_. It was like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. After one final squeeze, Peter pulled back.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much that meant to me.” A smaller hand than earlier, but still covered in blooms, brushed away tears that Peter hadn’t realized had fallen. Loki’s hand stayed on his cheek after clearing the last few drops.

“You are welcome, Peter. I am glad we can bond over more than just flowers.” Loki jumped like he was reminded of something then pulled his shirt off in a haste. Peter blushed when he saw plump breasts and quickly averted his eyes.

Loki followed Peter’s actions from earlier and put his hand on their hip over gorgeous Sycamore blooms that surrounded Ranunculus and a singular White Rose.

“What are they, Peter?”

“Sycamore blooms. What made you so _curious_ about me when we first met?”

Loki tilted their head to think back then smiled fondly. “At first, it was your interaction with Tony before he introduced us. Then it was how you weren’t hostile toward me after attacking your Bonded and your home. Now, it’s you as a whole and what your story is.”

Peter’s previous blush came back full force. He reached out and ran his fingertips around the wreath of flowers that grew for him. He felt goosebumps come up under his fingers. Peter’s hand slid up Loki’s side and took in the other flowers on their skin. There was a lot of _rage_ and _betrayal_ on the opposite side of Peter’s flowers. As his hand kept moving up, Geranium came into view.

His hand paused at the top of Loki’s ribs as he saw the _envy_ that had taken over the upper half of Loki’s arm. “Was your childhood a rough one, Loki?” Peter got a firm nod but nothing else as an answer. He hadn’t really needed to ask since he could see all of the flowers that took up most of their body were negative and jarring to look at.

In the center of their chest was a Guelder Rose. In this form, it was centered right above where their cleavage would start. Peter wanted to ask about it, but he didn’t know if he could. Soulmarks were very intimate topics, and they were really pushing social norms by both of them having theirs out in the open for anyone to see.

“Go ahead and ask what you want. I can see your eyes burning with questions.”

Peter didn’t hesitate. “Why is your soul full of _age_ and _winter_?”

Loki looked over Peter again. He felt like he was being judged to see if he’d be a worthy meal for the prized pig. However, he understood that Loki didn’t trust him yet. They had barely just met and he was asking about their Soulmark.

“It was my life-long hint to my biological parents. I was not born of Asgard. I was born of Jotunheim where the Frost Giants reside. My whole childhood I was told what monsters the Frost Giants were. The biggest enemy of Asgard. Then I found out I was one and my world shattered. That’s where the _rage_ and _betrayal_ came from. My family had lied to me my whole life.” Loki paused to see Peter’s reaction. He didn’t really pity Loki, nor did he see it as an excuse for his actions. Which Loki seemed relieved by. “Your Soulmark makes sense to me, though. The Hawthorn bloom on your heart it perfect for you. You bring _hope_ to everyone around you.”

Loki had started to tear up at the end. Peter didn’t know why, but it didn’t seem like the time to ask either. “My aunt and uncle always knew I would. I never expected it to be as a superhero, though. Or even to other superheroes.” Peter watched the tears pool over and down Loki’s cheeks, making their Heliotrope shine from the wetness. “I didn’t think it would happen all at once either.”

He reached his hand up and cupped Loki’s cheek, wiping away the tears as they fell. “You’ve given hope to me and to Stark, Peter,” Loki whispered out. “I know he hasn’t told you, but you did. You do more for him than he lets on.” They stepped closer to Peter and rested their hands on his hips. Peter tilted his head up just enough for Loki’s to rest their forehead on his.

“What do we do now?” He flicked his eyes up to meet Loki’s with _what’s next_ shining in them.

“I would like to sit with you.”

Peter took Loki’s hand and guided them to his lounge. “This couch is really comfy. You’ll love it.” He had Loki sit down first and then he sat between their legs, wiggling back until his back was on their chest. “Are you comfy?”

Loki’s head came to rest on Peter’s should as they nodded. “This is good. Thank you.” He shivers at the feeling of slightly cooler hands slide around his slides and circle around his waist, pulling Peter in closer.

There was a long silence between the two of them as they enjoyed each other’s company. Before Peter drifted off to sleep, though, he spoke up.

“I guess I should tell you about my flowers.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It wouldn’t be fair if you opened up to me and I didn’t do the same.”

Loki grudgingly agreed and held onto Peter a little bit tighter. Peter, in turn, rested his hands on top of Loki’s arms and leaned back into them more.

“The first flower I ever got was a Cypress. It was actually two of them for my parents. They died when I was young and I don’t really remember much except for how much they loved me.” From there, Peter dove into his life story, going through each flower in order of when they bloomed. He got to go more in depth about his transition to Loki and how it sometimes works for people. Peter was one case. Not everyone was as lucky as he was.

He got quiet as he rested a hand on the Purple Roses that bloomed for Tony. Loki picked up on the hesitancy. “You do not have to tell me everything, Peter. Some secrets are yours to keep.” Peter shook his head then took a deep breath before continuing.

“These Purple Roses are for Tony. They bloomed when we first met. I was his brand-new intern at the time. There were so many strangers around that Tony kind of freaked out and ran away from me. We didn’t talk about our blooms until two years later. Right after S.H.I.E.L.D. got a hold of you.”

“Why did you two take so long to talk about them?”

Peter shrugged. “Tony never seemed to want to talk about them. He wasn’t emotionally available to talk about it either. But we are constantly around each other. The bond never broke, but it did crack at the beginning.” Peter felt Loki tense behind him. He ran a soothing hand over Loki’s arm to calm them down. “Don’t worry about it, Loki. We’re good.”

“You’ve seen the flowers inside your blooms. Both of those are Tony’s.” Peter looked up at Loki from his spot on their shoulder. He could see under his chin and Loki looking ahead. “The Ranunculus and the White Rose bloomed when I choked him in the penthouse. I had not thought my self-esteem had gotten so low that a flower would need to bloom to prove that I was _worthy of someone_.”

Peter laughed a little at that, nuzzling his nose under Loki’s jaw then biting the bullet and kissing the soft skin. Loki then shifted around with Peter so they could look down at him.

“What’s so funny, young one?” Peter blushed a little at the way Loki was looking at him. They were smiling a bit fondly, but seemed a little more affected by the soft kiss than they wanted to let on.

“It’s just, of course, you two would find out about a bond while you were choking him and he was trying to destroy you. Tony wouldn’t be able to have it any less dramatic.”

Loki brushed hair out of Peter’s face as he talked then placed a kiss on his forehead. “The more I learn about you, the more the Sycamore blooms makes sense.” Peter preened under the affection. He had two beautiful men giving him forehead kisses in a matter of days and he loved it.

They got comfortable again and snuggled closer. Peter now had the side of his face pressed to Loki’s chest, and he was curled up on his side.

“We should probably talk about this three-way bond with Tony,” Peter mumbled into Loki’s skin. There was a hum in agreement but neither of them moved. “Do you wanna stay in this form or change back for Tony?”

There was a brief moment when Loki was thinking, drawing circles in various sizes on Peter’s hip. “I’ll stay like this so he can know what he’s getting himself into.” Peter laughed into Loki’s chest and curled up tighter as Loki tightened their hold again.

“JARVIS? Can you bring Tony down here?”

“Of course, Mr. Parker. He’s on his way.”

Peter was close to dozing off when he heard the lab door slide open. He pushed to sit up and he took in a sharp breath. Tony was wearing black jogging pants that tighten as they reached his ankles. Peter was sure his butt looked amazing. The black tank top he was also wearing did little to hide the glow of the arc reactor. His skin was glowing with sweat like he had been training or welding when Peter called for him.

“Hi, Mr. Stark.” Peter had been rendered speechless and that’s all he thought to say in that moment.

“Hey, kid.” Tony wheeled a lab chair over to in front of the lounge and sat down. “What’s up?”

Peter laid back down on Loki and smiled at Tony. “We need to talk about our three-way bond.”

Tony was smiling and scooting closer to the pair. He ran a hand through Loki’s hair, but doesn’t question their different form. “Making sure we’re all on the same page?” Loki was making pleased hums at Tony’s hand in their hair so Peter answers.

“Yeah, pretty much. Are you willing to try something with the both of us?”

Tony looked up from Loki’s pleased face to Peter’s worried one. When Tony’s hand stopped moving, Loki’s eyes opened to look at Tony.

“As long as it’s the three of us together and we go slow, I’d be very happy to try something with you two. What about you, Reindeer Games?”

Loki nodded enthusiastically. “It would be a pleasure.” Peter squirmed happily then wrapped Loki up in a hug. Tony came forward and sealed the three of them in a hug.

When they pulled away from each other, Loki spoke up again. “I must tell you, though, that I have different forms. I’m sure you’ve noticed this one.” Tony nodded. “Each form of me uses different pronouns. The form you see before you uses they, them, and theirs.”

“Loki is genderfluid, Mr. Stark. Their magic allows them to be in whatever body they want. Whichever one they feel the most comfortable in.” Peter’s helpfulness earns Loki’s fingers lacing through his.

“Will you let me know which pronouns you’re using for the day?” That was Tony’s only question and Loki nodded in the affirmative. “Then that’s it. Do you ever go by a different name?” Loki shook their head no. “Okay, that’s good. I’m horrible at remembering names.”

Seeing the way Tony so readily accepted Loki, was reassuring. It made something stir in Peter’s chest and motivated him to come forward as well. He didn’t want the three of them to end up in the bedroom and Tony have no idea. Well that and among other things.

“Mr. Stark, I have…something to tell you too.” At the serious tone from Peter, both Tony and Loki gave their full attention to him. “I know you’ve seen the scars on my chest. You probably already know what they mean, but I want you to hear what they mean from me.” A shuddering breath came from Peter’s lips before he kept talking. “I’m transgender.”

Peter watched as Tony’s eyes flicked briefly between him and Loki. It had gone over well with Loki so Peter had his hopes high for this. But he knew that there was a difference between changing forms magically and who Peter is.

“Okay,” Tony starts, “thank you for telling me. What can I do to help your transition?”

Peter was stunned into silence. The arms around him tightened reflexively like Loki had been surprised to.

“I’m already where I want to be, Mr. Stark. I’m done transitioning.”

“What about testosterone?” Peter blinked rapidly but said nothing. “Do you still have to be on it?” Peter felt himself nodding slowly. He felt like he was in a trance. It was one thing to be like Loki and how they are like Peter, for the most part. It’s another thing to be Tony Stark and have the resources to immediately jump into helping. “Consider them paid for as long as you need it.”

Peter gasped sharply as the shock started to wear off. He pulled Loki’s arms away from him and moved to kneel in front of Tony. Tony couldn’t look straight at him, so Peter reached up and grabbed a hold of his face to make him look down.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“You can call me Tony. We’re there now.”

“I won’t do that, Mr. Stark.” Peter stood and slid his hands down Tony’s face and neck to rest on his shoulders. “It wouldn’t feel right.” Peter sniffled back the tears that threatened to fall. He didn’t expect any of this.

Tony nodded and averted his eyes again. The room was silent until Loki spoke up.

“So, we are going to be a triad of sorts?” Peter looked back at them with a beaming smile.

“I’d love to, Loki.”

“It’s a yes from me, Reindeer Games. But we gotta be slow. I’m barely capable with one partner. Two is going to take some getting used to.”

Peter and Loki both agreed with that. Then, once that was settled, Loki and Peter found a way to get Tony configured into their cuddle fest. Loki had their back against the back of the couch now at one end and Tony in the same position at the other. Peter’s head was resting on Tony’s lap and Peter’s legs rested gently in Loki’s. Tony had one hand carding through Peter’s hair as he scrolled through emails, blueprints, and other business things on the tablet in the lab. Loki was taking their time to massage Peter’s calves and thighs. There were many times Peter had to bite back moans when Loki would rub out a sore spot or when Tony’s hand tugged a little on his hair.

They stayed like that for a while. Peter almost fell asleep he was so comfortable between his two partners. His eyes fluttered shut then the next thing he hears were the voices of Loki and Tony bickering quietly.

“Just let him sleep, Lokes. He’s been through a lot recently.”

“So have we, Anthony. I can take him to his room and then come back to yours. It’s no problem at all.”

Peter chose that time to stir and the conversation ended immediately.

“Don’t stop on my behalf. I’d love to be carried to bed.”

He felt arms curl beneath him and suddenly he was in the air. A sound of surprise came with Peter securely wrapping his arms around Loki’s neck. Both Loki and Tony laughed quietly as they left the lab. As they stepped through the threshold, Loki changed back to the form everyone was familiar with. Peter suspected it was that he didn’t trust the other Avengers to see him and not take advantage.

His bed was soft compared to his lounge and he curled up immediately under the covers. Both men pressed separate kisses to Peter’s forehead as they wished him a goodnight

He watched Loki slide his fingers into Tony’s hand and he wished they would stay with him in his bed, but he was too tired to speak up. They walked out of his room, the door shutting as Peter closed his eyes.

“Hey, JARVIS?”

The lights dimmed in acknowledgement.

“How fucked am I?”

JARVIS spoke in a low volume in his reply. “Based on your reactions to the ones you care about, you are 78.4% in love with Sir and 95.2% infatuated with Mr. Laufeyson. In your crude terms, Mr. Parker, you are 100% fucked.”

Peter chuckled, but he couldn’t quite process JARVIS’ answer as he drifted off easily.

He dreamt of more Purple Roses, but this time they were joined by Guelder Roses and soft hands.

~*~

Peter and Tony fell into a regular pattern in the following days. It felt like Tony was in Peter’s lab more often than not. More and more of his projects made their way into his lab.

“Have you realized that you’re spending a lot of time in my lab, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked one day while his hands were very carefully trying to fix some wiring in his suit.

“Why? Are you complaining?” Tony was also very much concentrated on his own suit, soft soldering noises coming from his side of the lab. Peter was regularly struck by the thought that Tony has his own side in his lab. It sent warm shivers down to his toes.

“No, of course not. I’m curious, though, why you’ve basically moved down here. Doesn’t your lab have more stuff?”

A soft brush of a hand over Peter’s shoulder brought him out of his science trance to look up at Tony standing beside him.

“I like spending time with my Bonded partners. That means spending time with you, Pete.” Tony’s hand slid down and folded his fingers between Peter’s. Peter just stared down at them with awe then back up at Tony with something dangerously close to love in his eyes.

From there on out, Tony made sure to keep up the light touches and soft reminders that he liked being there and enjoyed time with Peter even if they didn’t say anything to each other.

At the end of the day, Tony parted with a kiss on the cheek and a warm smile paired with a squeeze of Peter’s hand. If it had been a particularly trying day either be with engineering or school, Peter got a hug to say goodnight. The hugs usually lasted a while and it melted something in Peter’s heart to feel Tony’s arms around him so securely.

Slowly, Peter noticed changes to his spider suit. The mask he had was getting easier to breathe in and cleaning it wasn’t a hassle anymore. He had the sneaking suspicion that Tony had something to do with it.

His suspicions were confirmed when after one fight in the New York sun his own suit started to blow cool air across his skin to lower the temperature inside the suit. A quiet warning beeped at him that he was getting too hot. Soon after the warning came on, the in-suit fans turned on. It distracted him enough that he wasn’t paying attention when a punch from Doc Oc knocked him onto his back.

Tony was quick to apologize about adding it in without telling Peter. He hadn’t realized it would be too much of a distraction. This was said as Peter held an ice pack to Tony’s face because he had come to Peter’s rescue, ending up with worse injuries than Peter himself.

But with Loki, it was a little different. He would bring food down for Peter and Tony to eat on their science binges, and it’s usually stuff that’s easy to eat like sandwiches or salads.

“Please, won’t you two take a break and eat something? Stark, you’re a horrible influence on Peter.”

Peter chuckled around his ham and cheese sandwich. Tony shot a betrayed look at Peter before taking a bite of his own sandwich.

Other times Loki will come down and she’ll take up Peter’s lounge and read. Tony seemed to be able to keep on track, but Peter was constantly caught staring at Loki’s newest form.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, spider boy.” Loki winked at him as Peter turned back around in his chair, blushing as he got back to work. Loki never complained so Peter didn’t make a huge effort to stop his indulgent staring.

Tony still had to help run the company so he wasn’t always around. He wasn’t there to stop Loki from distracting Peter or to keep Peter from doing something about his staring.

One afternoon when it’s just Peter and Loki in the lab, Peter felt a tall body come up behind him and wrap their arms around Peter’s waist.

“You’ve been working too hard. Come sit with me for a bit,” Loki whispered softly into his ear.

Peter chuckled and leaned back into Loki as he shut down his work station. “A break wouldn’t hurt.” Loki spun him around and pulled Peter out of his seat, taking him with her to the lounge across the lab.

Loki was dressed for a day of lounging around: a worn t-shirt and sweatpants that clung just enough to her long legs that she still looked stunning even when her hair was up in a messy bun. She sat with her back to the arm of the chair and pulled Peter down in between her legs so he could lean his back against her chest. Strong arms came around his waist immediately and Peter relaxed even more.

“Do you like this form, Peter?” Peter could sense that there was another meaning to the question Loki asked. It was easy for him to figure out.

“I like _you_ , Loki. I want you to feel comfortable in your own body. That’s what matters to me. If this is about the staring, I’ve always stared at you, from day one. You’re gorgeous no matter what. I’m just intrigued by... _you_.”

Loki was silent for a moment. Then the silence kept going. Peter turned around to see tears running down Loki’s face and red eyes. Not like fresh crying red eyes, but they were no longer Loki’s normal strikingly green ones.

“Loki...your eyes.” Peter reached up to cup Loki’s face. “They’re _red_.”

Next thing Peter knew, Loki was across the room and covering his face. Peter noticed the whole body change to the form most people knew. He was quick to get off the couch and grab onto Loki again, gently holding his wrists.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Loki dropped his hands and Peter’s brows creased in confusion. He watched Loki’s eyes darken in shade to the color of blood and his face started turning to blue. He has to pull his hands away because the once warm skin had turned to ice and it hurt to touch. Peter stayed close, though. He sensed it to be a challenge from Loki.

“Still like what you see, Parker?” The use of his last name cut through Peter’s heart. His witch hazel throbbed in pain from the bond being almost torn from all the pain Loki was feeling.

Peter covered his hand with the bottom of his shirt and reached up to wipe the tears off Loki’s now blue cheeks. His _devotion_ stood out beautifully on the skin that reminded Peter of deep lakes by the mountains.

“Loki, I told you. You’re gorgeous no matter what.”

The room had cooled significantly. The two could see Peter’s breath as it puffed out between them. Loki must have seen something in Peter’s eyes that said he was telling the truth because in the silence, the room started to warm up back to its normal temperature. Loki’s skin faded back to its milky whiteness, but his irises stayed red. Peter dropped his shirt and held Loki’s cheek without the barrier.

Loki leaned down and pressed his forehead to Peter’s, whispering, “Thank you, Peter.”

Peter tilted his head just enough to brush his lips gently across Loki’s. It was not his moment to take, so Peter pulled back after a few seconds of their lips touching. Loki stood up straight too, but only to lift Peter’s chin with two fingers and kiss him properly.

Peter absolutely melted into the touch and the tenderness of it all. His hands found Loki’s waist and rested them there, not really knowing what else to do. When Loki pulled back from the close-mouthed kiss, he was smiling again.

“We have to tell Tony now.”

Peter just laughed.

“You two kissed and I missed it?” Tony sounded exasperated when they called him. He’d be fine.

The rest of the week that Tony was gone, Loki and Peter would cuddle in the lounge after Peter was able to get a few hours in of messing around in his tech. Small kisses were shared throughout their time together, never doing more than quick kisses on the lips when they were alone.

However, when it comes to Tony and Loki, they have a little less touchy-feely relationship. While it’s been a cuddle fest with Peter, the two of them have been figuring out and working through what happened between them during the invasion of New York.

It was a slow process.

Tony had to work up the courage to apologize for throwing Loki out of the tower.

“Loki, babe,” Tony reached for Loki’s hair and tucked it behind his ear, “I’m sorry for tossing you out of the window. I was in panic mode.”

Loki chuckled. “I do not blame you for your actions. Although, I do not regret choking you. If I hadn’t, you would not have my flowers so beautifully tattooed onto your skin.”

He sipped from his coffee with a slight smirk then traced a single flower under Tony’s jaw. Tony shivered and tilted his head just enough to encourage Loki to keep going. He did, making the hair on Tony’s arms stand as he got goosebumps.

It had become a habit for Loki and Tony to have coffee together in the wee hours of the morning while Peter slept until sunrise. It was a way to pass time between waking up and waiting for their missing partner as he slept on.

It was a morning like this that Tony and Loki shared their first kiss together. Their hands had brushed as they stood together in the kitchen. Soft smiles graced their lips as they drank with their pinkies linked together. It was a companionable silence as Tony and Loki let the caffeine enter their blood streams and wake them up.

Once the coffee pot was empty and the mugs were in the dishwasher, it was Tony who reached for Loki’s waist, pulling him into his chest. It caught Loki off guard and he let out a startled laugh from suddenly being manhandled. Their foreheads touched then their noses. Finally, their smiles met and they kissed. With the sun rising in the background, the kiss they had was gentle and incredibly domestic. It was like they had been spending their mornings like this for years and this was routine.

Tony pulled back first with a self-satisfied smirk which Loki kissed right off his face, turning it into something more humble.

“Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

“Because, my dear Stark, I was waiting on you.”

On a different morning, Peter had once gone to the kitchen to get some water, but he had seen his two partners standing close and speaking softly to each other. He had backed out of there as quietly as he could, not feeling like he belonged in that space they had created for themselves.

He equated it to how him and Loki had the lounge in his lab, but it made him question his relationship with Tony. They worked side by side so well, but they didn’t really get time to talk about anything besides their current projects. It made him anxious to think that not everything is equal between the three of them.

That anxiety was usually soothed when Peter got to spend time with both Tony and Loki. Tony was very tactile with both of his partners, and Peter loved it. It seemed like he would always try to have skin on skin contact with Peter and Loki whenever he could.

One memorable moment was when Tony had his hand on Peter’s shoulder as Peter was showing off upgrades to the spider suit.

“I included a system that will allow Karen to take over the suit if I end up unconscious in dire situations. The coding is done. I just have to complete the wiring.”

Peter felt Tony shift and when he looked over, Tony’s free arm was wrapped around Loki’s bare waist. It felt immensely right to have them all connected that way. Peter ducked his head with a fond smile as he continued to talk about the latest addition.

When movie nights started up again at the tower, Peter couldn’t have been happier. He either got a lap full of Tony’s head where he could twist and play with Tony’s hair all night or his hand being held by a more callus one. On nights like the latter, Peter couldn’t help but lean his head on Tony’s shoulder. The warmth from his partner helped Peter feel secure in the relationship and at home.

However, for Peter, what he really enjoyed were activities for all three of them to do together. He usually had them do something away from everyone else when he started to feel tension in his heart. One afternoon, Peter got Tony and Loki to agree to a 1000-piece puzzle together.

There’s a loud clatter in the lab as Peter dumped the pieces over the floor. Tony looked amused and Loki looked almost terrified when Peter glanced up at the both of them.

“We’re not leaving until it’s completed.” The groans that ensued were worth it because they all spent the rest of the day together.

“Loki, you’re supposed to be working on the corners and border! Stop taking my pieces for the middle!”

“Ha! This piece _does_ go here.”

“No, Tony, it really doesn’t.”

Halfway through the puzzle being made, Peter somehow had made it into Loki’s lap and pointing out pieces that may or may not fit to Loki for him to put together. One of Peter’s hands played with Loki’s hair as he periodically kissed Loki’s cheek and jaw.

Three fourths of the way in, Tony migrated over to where Loki and Peter were cozied up to each other. Peter was back to helping put pieces together again, giving Loki a break to watch.

Four hours later, Tony sat back as he placed the final piece in the puzzle. It was a picture of the Iron Man suit in Loki’s colors of green and gold with the arc reactor and eye slits glowing blue similar the blue on Peter’s suit. In the middle of the arc reactor was the outline of the spider off Peter’s suit.

“Do you guys like it? I wanted something for us.”

Tony’s two fingers lifted Peter’s chin to make eye contact. Peter flicked his eyes to see Loki’s eyes shining wetly then looked back at Tony.

“I think I can speak for Loki as well when I say we love it. Thank you, Peter.”

Peter crawled out of Loki’s lap and wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, holding on tightly. Tony didn’t hesitate for a second before wrapping his arms around Peter’s waist. Shortly after, Loki’s arms wrapped around the both of them, bringing them all into an embrace.

He couldn’t explain why he felt like crying, but Peter had very few instances that he felt this loved and loved in return. The thought made Peter briefly tense because he never thought _love_ would occur to him so soon. Nevertheless, Peter didn’t let that thought stay around long enough for Tony and Loki to notice.

Another thing Peter managed to do was turn Tony into a tour guide for Loki of his favorite spots in New York. It started with some basic places like Central Park and Madison Square Garden, but then it evolved into smaller spots like the bar he frequented when he visited home from MIT and the pizza restaurant he found at three in the morning after leaving said bar.

But in order to get Tony to agree, Peter had to promise that he would do the same. So he did. Peter showed Loki and Tony to the park behind his Aunt May’s house where he, Gwen, and Harry would go to feed turtles after school and the arcade down the street. Not so much a hole in the wall pizza place, but Peter showed them the Panda Express that knew his order by heart and him by name. The restaurant even had his graduation announcement pinned up in their break room.

That night, Loki turned in early with a soft kiss for Peter and a long hug for Tony. Peter turned to Tony with a shy smile.

“Wanna watch a movie and relax for once, Pete?” Tony prompted when Peter didn’t say anything.

Peter let out a sigh of relief and nodded, grabbing Tony’s hand and taking him to the common room. It was even better that no one else had decided to take residence by the TV, so they got the room to themselves.

Tony pulled Peter into his chest and leaned back into the corner of the sofa. Peter curled himself into his partner as Star Trek started to play.

Peter looked up just as Tony looked down at him, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Tony kept leaning in closer, so Peter only had to push up slightly to make their lips meet. The first thing Peter noticed was that it was nothing like kissing Loki. It was firmer and Tony oozed confidence into everything he does.

Peter had to break away for a quick second to turn and face Tony so they could kiss more comfortably. Tony had his hands underneath Peter’s shirt as his tongue licked playfully at Peter’s top lip. It made Peter chuckle into the kiss, and he pulled away shortly after.

“Everything you thought it would be, kid?”

Peter laughed more.

“Yes, Mr. Stark,” Peter said through his laughter. He sunk down and nuzzled into a spot in Tony’s neck, placing a soft kiss to the skin there.

It was sometime later that Peter and Tony woke up on the couch. A quick check of the time said it was four in the morning, so they parted ways and headed for bed. Despite the feeling of an empty bed, Peter snuggled into his sheets and fell back asleep with a smile on his face.

After long days out fighting and keeping New York safe, Peter and Tony would come back to Loki and the Tower exhausted. The most recent one had them both rushing out of their rooms at five in the morning to chase down some alien crook in downtown.

When they finally came back, it was now afternoon, but all the team wanted to do was go back to bed.

Peter found Loki reading on the living room couch and proceeded to lie on top of them. Tony was soon to follow and flopped down into the space between Peter and the back of the couch. One hand under his hand and the other over Peter’s back.

Peter heard Loki’s book thud onto the floor as they dropped it. They all got comfortable and promptly fell asleep. Right before drifting off, however, Peter thought about how nice it would be if they fell asleep like this every night on Tony’s king-sized bed. A final sigh of pleasure left Peter at that thought, allowing him to finally get some sleep.

~*~

Although Loki had some experience with Earth and the things he learned before coming, he still had a lot of questions for his scientists.

Loki knew the basics, Peter could tell. What Loki really wanted to know is how things worked, and why they were being done in a specific order. Coding was one of the few things that shocked Loki. Special characters and numbers made robots and computers do certain things in certain procedures.

It made Peter laugh to watch Loki try his hand at coding but then accidentally mute JARVIS by wiping out the code for his voice and responses.

In return for all his questions, Loki showed off his magic. The way it glowed from his fingertips had Peter fawning over everything that Loki decided to show them. Peter really only got to see Loki’s magic when he transformed into his different bodies. But when Loki shot out a dagger from his hand into the wall beside Peter’s head, Peter had to fight not to moan out loud from the powerful display.

It’s not all fun and games for the three of them, though. On a slow day in the lab, Peter pulls Tony over to the lounge to join Loki. This particular day, Tony was wearing a tank top, allowing most of his flowers to be shown. The only one that hadn’t been shown was Tony’s Soulmark which was replaced by his arc reactor and hidden by the old leather band on his wrist.

Peter took a spot in front of Loki on the floor. A cool hand immediately started running through his hair as he sat. Tony sat in the chair across from them. The air felt thicker and Peter didn’t realize why until Loki started talking.

“Stark, if you’re comfortable, I’d like to hear about your marks. You have many showing _disappointment_ on your neck. I am a little curious about the other ones you keep hidden too.”

Peter made a strong effort not to stare at Tony’s covered wrist while Loki asked her questions.

“The Syringa is from Howard.” Tony stood up and lifted his shirt to his chest just below the arc reactor. “The Pink Roses are for Rhodey and Pepper.” He pointed at each flower separately as he said what they were bluntly. None of them came with stories, just a what and who. “I got a big head that lead to the Narcissus and the Judas flower is from my adopted dad, Stane.”

Tony paused when he pointed to the Angelica that Peter put there. In that brief moment, Peter realized this had to be the first time Tony was showing this to anyone.

“This is Peter’s flower, my _inspiration_.” When Tony looked up at Peter, it was with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t think I’d find anyone like him until the day we shook hands in my lab. I nearly fucked it up, but he didn’t give up on me.”

The sniff that came from Tony set Peter in motion, pushing to cross the distance between them. Peter stood in front of Tony, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down for a rough kiss. Hands found Peter’s face and held him there.

When they pulled away, Peter and Tony had tears running down their faces and bright smiles.

“One more thing,” Tony started. He started to untwist the clasp on his leather band. He dropped it to the floor and held up his wrist for Loki and Peter to see his Soulmark. It was on skin lighter than the rest of his arm from having it always covered up.

Out of the hundreds of possibilities, Peter didn’t think he’d see _desire to please_ in the form of Mezereon on Tony’s wrist. He gently cupped Tony’s hand and ran a thumb over the flower before turning his palm over and showing his Hawthorn. A new hand came up to show her own wrist, a Guelder Rose.

Seeing all of their flowers next to each other warmed Peter’s heart. He couldn’t help but to reach up and pull Loki into a kiss as well. Her lips were pumper in this form, sending shocks of wonder and pleasure through his fingertips and down his spine.

Peter felt soft kisses make their way down his neck as he kissed Loki, melting back into the body that was leaving them. He was certain the place he felt most like home was between Loki and Tony. A mechanic’s hands on his hips and a magician’s hands in his hair; Peter was glowing.

When Loki pulled back, Peter put all their wrists together again. Seeing his _hope_ next to Tony’s _desire to please_ and Loki’s _winter and age_ clicked something together in him. Then he looked up to see Loki and Tony kissing. He had figured they had by now, but it was a whole other thing to see it. Peter’s whole face heated up as he watched because that’s all he could do.

The two pulled away and Peter stared in awe as Loki shivered and changed to his main form.

“Don’t think you’re getting away spot free, Peter. I have questions for you too,” Loki teased.

The three of them sat back down and got settled together on the floor. Peter had his back against the couch with Tony and Loki forming a circle around him.

Loki shuddered again and transformed into the form they turned into while first talking to Peter. It still made Peter’s breath catch even after so many months with them. Loki’s hand slid into Peter’s at the sound like they knew what Peter was thinking.

With a firm squeeze, Loki started talking again, “So, Peter, how early on did you know you were trans?”

Peter glanced at Tony to gauge his reaction. His face was open, willing to listen and learn more about Peter. It soothed his anxiety a little to see Tony not closing off since this was something very personal to Peter and will have an impact on their future.

“Um, I was one of the lucky ones to know when I was very young even though I didn’t have the words for it yet.” Peter dropped his gaze from Tony to his hands in his lap. “My, uh, my family was very loving and accepting when I wanted to wear boys clothes and only have friends that were boys. My parents died when I was very young so my aunt and uncle proceeded to help me feel comfortable in my body.

“When puberty started, my aunt went with me to pick out sports bras then later on binders. My friends, Gwen and Harry, helped me in other ways. Gwen took me shopping so my closet didn’t turn into sweatshirts and baggy jeans. Harry assisted in keeping me on track with testosterone and where to put the shots.

“The things I was most worried about were which parts of me brought body dysphoria and which didn’t. I knew for sure my chest did, so for graduation, my aunt paid for my top surgery. I’m pretty sure she had been saving for it since I was under her guardianship. The night after the surgery, I got _birth_ around one of my scars. I knew in that moment I was satisfied with my body. I guess that should answer the unasked question if I still have my original parts.”

Loki continued to ask questions related to Peter’s personal experience. He explained why the doctor had chosen the method for the top surgery and why his body dysphoria didn’t go below waist. He was also very adamant to disclaim that all of the information that he shared is specific to his experience alone and each trans person could have a different story.

Peter also explained just how lucky he is to have the family he does.

“I know that you guys didn’t have the best time growing up, so if I ever make you uncomfortable with talking about my family, please let me know.” Peter made sure to look at Tony pointedly when he said that. He was aware that Tony was borderline if not abused by his father, and he never got the closure he needed before Howard passed away.

But just like the rest of the time they’ve been talking about Peter’s identity, Tony stayed silent. Peter, deep down, felt surprised by Tony’s lack of comments. He never shared any of this with his mentor and he never thought he would. Tony didn’t seem like the type of person who would ask about this stuff, and Peter was definitely not the type to bring it up out of nowhere.

Suddenly, Peter felt immensely grateful for Loki, for allowing all of them to come together in the lab and fill their curiosity about Peter and Tony. He slid his fingers between Loki’s gently as they all sat in easy quiet. The only sounds left were them breathing and the lab’s machines running with a low hum, ready to be used.

Slowly, Peter let go of Loki’s hand and crawled into their lap and looked up into their eyes.

“Thank you for directing us to finally be open to each other.” Peter turned his head just slightly and looked at Tony. “Thank you for telling about about your flowers and Soulmark.”

Tony nodded once then flicked his eyes to his watch. “It’s one in the afternoon. Who wants lunch?” With that, Tony was out of the lab and on his way to the kitchen.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, Peter, you said everything right. You know our Tony can’t process emotions very well. I’m sure he appreciated everything you had to say. You mean so much to him.”

“Thank you, Loki.”

With a kiss to Loki’s cheek, Peter got up and back to work.

~*~

A few weeks after their heart to heart in the lab, Thor came crashing down on the tower’s balcony, calling for Loki to come back to Asgard for a trial for what happened in New York.

“I’m not surprised you’re here, Brother. I suspected the Allfather would summon me soon.”

Tony was quick to rush to Loki and Thor once JARVIS notified him why thunder was booming _inside_ his tower when there was not a cloud in the sky. Needless to say he was not shocked to see Thor, but he was curious to why he had an almost tight grip on Loki’s arm like they were about to leave.

“Hey, Thor. Whatcha doing with Loki there?”

Both gods looked in the direction of Tony standing in the doorway to the balcony.

“Anthony! Odin has sent me to get Loki for his trial on Asgard.”

Tony looked at Loki and Loki nodded his affirmation.

“He can’t go yet. Peter is still in class.” Tony’s voice turned to something desperate. “You can’t go without a plan or telling Peter.” Tony’s hand pressed lightly over the Angelica that Loki knew was under his shirt.

Thor had a look of confusion over his face then he noticed flowers on both Loki’s and Tony’s skin. He still had no clue what was going on. The confusion allowed Loki to slip out of Thor’s grip and quickly walk to Tony, grabbing his shoulders tightly.

“I’m not going without saying goodbye.” Loki pressed his forehead to Tony’s and they both closed their eyes. “We’ll talk to Peter once he’s home.”

Tony closed the rest of the distance and kissed Loki, still feeling the desperation from earlier. Tony’s hands were bunched in Loki’s cloak when they heard the front door open.

“Peter! Welcome home!” Thor boasted out to him.

Loki stepped away from Tony and rushed inside to scoop Peter into a hug that took the breath out of him. Peter could feel Loki shaking against him as he returned the hug.

“What’s wrong Loki? Why is Thor here?”

“I’m being summoned back to Asgard to be assessed for my crimes against Midgard.”

After things were explained to Peter and Tony about how the trial will go and how long Loki would have to be gone, all of them headed to Peter’s lab to sit in the lounge and talk about what their possible plans could be for the trial and beyond.

“Can you bring witnesses?” Tony offered. “I was there when the mind control broke. I could vouch for you about how you didn’t make your own decision to attack.”

Something settled in Peter’s stomach that made him want to throw up. It took all of his self control not to gag at the idea of both of his Bonded to be across the galaxy without him. He could already feel the strain of their bonds at the thought of staying on Earth.

“That might be helpful. I did not think about trying to defend myself.” Peter watched with horror as Loki grabbed Tony’s hand with a hopeful smile. “And you would not mind coming with me?”

“It’d be my pleasure.”

Jealousy spiked hot in Peter’s heart. He could feel his face heating up. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t come too. He was just as much Loki’s partner as Tony was. Sure he wasn’t there when the spell broke over Loki, but he wanted to support Loki through this hard time in Asgard, and not have to worry on Earth.

With a plan set, Loki and Tony packed to leave for Asgard. While they packed, so did Peter in secret. He was planning a way to sneak off to Asgard behind his partners’ backs. Because of his planning, he was not all there when the three of them were supposed to be spending time together. He mind wandered as they cuddled on the couch to watch some movie.

For bedtime, they all managed to fit into Peter’s bed and curl up around each other. However, Peter was having issues falling asleep as his mind spiraled down a dangerous path. When a thought spurred about Tony never being able to love him, Peter knew it was time for bed and he fell asleep.

It wasn’t long before he was jerking awake with tears running down his cheeks from the dream he could no longer remember. It digressed as he remembered that tomorrow he would be without his partners and he had to run into the bathroom. The click of the lock was soft, but it sounded loud compared to the chilling silence in the bathroom.

Peter shoved his face into a towel to stuff the sounds of his sobs. He jumped at the sound of a hesitant knock on the door. He held his breath and completely went silent.

“Peter?” It was Tony. “Pete, what’s wrong?”

Peter stayed quiet, absolutely terrified about being confronted about how he we was feeling about Tony and Loki leaving Earth. A series of soft clicks filled the stillness inside the bathroom then the door opened with Tony sliding inside as softly as possible.

Tony went on his knees in front of Peter, gently taking the towel out of Peter’s mouth.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Peter’s heart broke at the pet name. He lunged at Tony and wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, starting to cry again.

“I’m scared you’re not going to come back. I want you both to to come back to me. I don’t want you to go at all.”

Peter felt Tony’s hands rub up and down his back. There was a moment of silence where Tony placed a kiss on Peter’s temple before pulling back so Peter could see his face again. It was somber and not reassuring at all.

Callused hands held Peter’s face as he looked into Tony’s eyes. It looked like Tony might almost cry himself, but when he spoke his voice showed no sign of oncoming tears.

“We _will_ come back, Peter,” he said vehemently. “You’re ours. We wouldn’t leave you behind.”

When they shared a hug again, it took every ounce of Peter not to blurt out: _But you are_.

They walked back out to the bed hand in hand. Loki woke up long enough to shift over, allowing Peter to place himself between his two partners. He falls into a dreamless sleep, but enjoys the warm company and perfect temperature of the sheets the rest of the night.

The morning brought a low level of chaos as Loki and Tony can’t seem to find Peter. It gave Loki a feeling of anxiety that slowly got worse as the morning continues.

“Don’t worry, Loki. He’ll show up to say goodbye.”

Loki’s hands shook as he ate breakfast. Peter never step foot in the kitchen while they ate and had their morning coffee together. Why would this morning change that? The last of the packing was done without seeing Peter as well. There was a few times that Tony had to take Loki aside to keep him from having some form of panic attack.

“What if he doesn’t show up? What if I have to leave without seeing him again?”

“That’s not going to happen, Lokes. I promise.”

The rest of the morning passed in slow motion but also in a blur. Loki wasn’t paying attention to the preparations Tony was making for the trial. He was too focused on how worried he was about Peter.

Their luggage had been transferred to the Avenger’s Tower balcony. Thor was waiting where he landed the day before, swinging his hammer lazily as he waited for his passengers to join him.

“Brother, we must go. Father is getting impatient.”

“Just a few more minutes, Thor. He will be here.”

Just as Loki finished talking, Peter walked out onto the balcony, hanging up his phone with a smile and a soft _goodbye_. He looked up at Loki and Tony, just mear feet from Thor and his eyes filled with tears.

He was sure his plan was going to cause issues between him and his partners. The tears spilled over as he was wrapped in Loki’s arms. His grip was tight around Peter’s middle as he felt himself be lifted off the ground. When he was set back down, he was being kissed by Tony first. He feels Tony’s warm hands on his cheeks. Thumbs brushed away the tears that won’t stop falling from the incredible amount of guilt Peter feels in his heart.

He sniffled when Tony pulled away just slightly. “I couldn’t let you two leave without saying goodbye.” Tony stepped back and his hands were replaced by Loki’s cooler ones. Loki’s eyes were piercing. Peter couldn’t take his eyes away.

“We would not have left until you had come to see us off.”

Peter nodded. His eyes fluttered closed when he felt Loki press his lips to his own. A sigh escaped Peter’s lips from the soft touch of lips. He felt Loki smile a bit then lean his forehead against his.

“Loki, I, fuck, I can’t say what I want to,” Peter whispered.

“Don’t worry, Peter. Just know I feel the same for you,” Loki responded just as quietly.

Peter let Loki pull back but followed Tony and Loki out onto the platform Thor was waiting on.

“Don’t miss us too much, kid.”

Peter rubbed his fingers over the device in his hand and stepped up close to Tony, projecting all the guilt he was feeling towards Tony.

“I’m so sorry,” Peter whimpered out.

“What do you mean, Pete?” Thor started rotating his hammer, calling the Bifrost. Tony’s voice got more stern. “Peter, what the hell are you talking about?”

Peter looked up as he saw the Bifrost approaching, and he shot out a web to attach himself to Tony. He has just enough time to see Tony widen his eyes as he realized what Peter had just done. In the few seconds it took to make it to Asgard, Peter let himself feel smug inside the heat of Tony’s body. His plan worked, but he also knew there would be consequences.

They landed in a hard thud on the Bifrost in front of Heimdall. Peter’s webbing ripped as he was jerked away from Tony at the landing. He stumbled a bit, but he kept his footing underneath him.

“You have a stow away, Prince Thor,” Heimdall said blandly.

Hearing those words quickly wiped away any kind of good mood Peter had left. He saw Loki walking towards him with concern written across his features, but he was stopped when Tony put his arm out to keep Loki from walking any further.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Peter looked over at Tony when he spoke, turning away from Loki’s confused face.

“Tony - I couldn’t. Our bond wouldn’t make such a big distance.” Peter ran up to Tony and held onto the bottom of his shirt clenched in his fists. “I can’t lose you now. Not when I waited so long for us.”

He started to panic when Tony only stared at him. “I’m so-”

“Do you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in by hopping into the Bifrost? You could have fallen out!”

“Stark, calm down. You are not helping. You are only making him upset,” Loki stepped in.

“Making him upset?” Tony turned towards Loki. “He could have died, Loki! I have every right to be upset.” He turned back to Peter. “You have a lot of explaining to do, but I’m too angry to hear it right now. Let’s go.”

Tony brushed past Peter as he set out on the Rainbow bridge with Thor following quickly behind him to guide him to the palace. Loki paused in front of Peter and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I am glad you are here, Peter, but you should have told us you wanted to come instead of putting yourself in danger.”

Loki walked away with a final pat to Peter’s shoulder. Peter took a deep breath and followed everyone else out. He was immediately struck by awe at the beauty of the city and the Rainbow bridge.

 _That’s gay_ , he thinks to himself with a soft laugh.

He ran to catch up with the group where Loki and Thor had taken the lead to show Tony and Peter the way to the gigantic palace standing in the middle of the city. His eyes kept being dragged back to the gorgeous city when he wanted to keep looking up at Tony.

Peter was trying to gauge how angry Tony was feeling by the look on his face. Tony was well past keeping his face stoic and Peter could see all the emotions he was trying to keep down. Mainly, it looked like it was anger that was making his cheeks tinted pink.

Seeing that made it easier for Peter to keep his eyes on the city and the sparkling bridge beneath their feet. It felt like a small eternity getting to the palace while avoiding all the looks from Loki and avoiding looking at Tony.

Once inside the palace, their bags are taken from them and to the rooms they’ll be staying in. Peter has only a backpack that is slid off his shoulders.

“The Allfather is waiting,” Loki said solemnly. “We must go to the throne room.”

The rest of the party nodded and started to make the trek to where Odin was. Loki and Tony were still barely looking at Peter, and it was making Peter anxious for what was to come once they got to the throne room. Not to mention he was meeting his in-laws on a trip he snuck away on.

As they got closer to the giant golden doors at the end of the hallway, Peter also saw a small woman waiting outside to great them, and saw Loki visibly relax at the sight of her.

“Loki, welcome home,” she greeted as they got close enough to hear her.

The woman wrapped her arms around Loki’s waist as he put his around her shoulders. It was a sweet moment that Peter couldn’t watch, averting his eyes from the touching scene. He concluded that this had to be Loki’s mother. She was smaller than Loki, but it was easy to see where he got his underlying confidence from.

When Loki stepped back, he motioned to Tony first. “Mother, this is Tony Stark, one of my Bonded.”

Tony was quick to move in and shake her hand with an award winning grin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Call me Frigga, darling. It’s so nice to see that Loki has someone out there that accepts him.” They talked for a bit, hitting it off right away. Peter could see on Loki’s face just how happy it made him to see them getting along. He slid in closer to be a part of the group, listening in on the conversation.

Him moving seemed to get Frigga’s attention away from Tony.

“And who is this, my son? I thought you were only bringing one guest.”

“Mother, this is Peter Parker, my second Bonded. He snuck away with us because of a threat to our connection.”

Peter stepped forward as gracefully as he could, taking her outstretched hand to kiss the back of it with a slight bow.

“It’s an honor to meet you, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience of me being a little rebellious may have caused you or your staff.”

Peter earned himself a small pleased smile for his efforts. “It is not an issue. Any suitor for my Loki is welcome here in Asgard. Welcome, Peter.” Frigga directed herself out to the other three men waiting around them. “We must enter now.”

The guards at the door leaned in simultaneously and grabbed the shining door handles, pushing open the gigantic doors into the throne room. Frigga led the way into the room, her heels echoing across the floor. Thor and Loki followed her in then Peter and Tony.

Peter fell back behind Tony and the crowd. He wanted to hide from Odin at the back of the room, but it was something Odin wasn’t going to allow.

“Come here, child.”

Peter looked up quickly when he was called out. Everyone had turned to look at him. Tony was standing next to Loki with a less stoic face than before and Loki’s eyes were filled with sympathy.

All eyes stayed on him as he slid his feet across the floor, keeping his eyes on his partners. When he made it next to Tony, Loki visibly relaxed.

“I’m almost twenty-one. Not a child,” Peter couldn’t help but mumble quietly to Tony. He earned a smirk from Tony for his comment. That calmed Peter’s nerves a little bit.

“Loki, my son, who have you brought with you to Asgard? I was not expecting you to come with witnesses.”

Peter saw Loki’s chest puff up at his father’s challenge. He wanted to grab Tony’s hand for comfort, but decided against it in this moment. Odin’s attention needed to stay on Loki.

“Allfather, I present Tony Stark and Peter Parker to the council. They are both my Bonded mates from Midgard. Tony Stark will be here as a witness to support my defense. Peter Parker is here because he is ours. I will not stay if he cannot.”

Peter did grab Tony’s hand at that, though. His hand is squeezed tightly and he can barely hide a smile from the pride of his two partners publicly showing they were all together.

“Very well, Loki. The trial will begin immediately. Clear the floor for the accused.”

Peter and Tony were brought over to the side of the throne room, away from the spectators, but more importantly, away from Loki. Peter was able to press a quick kiss to Loki’s lips before the light guiding was turned into shoving.

Odin is quick to get started. “Loki Odinson, you are being tried for your crimes against Midgard for attempted genocide and breaking the peace treaties between the two realms of Midgard and Asgard. How does the defendant plead?”

Peter picked at his fingers and popped his knuckles nervously as Loki stepped forward to address Odin. The popping was was the only sound in the silent throne room until Loki talked over it.

“I plead insanity, and more specifically, mind control. The mad titan Thanos captured me after I fell from the Rainbow bridge. He tortured me and coerced me into invading New York and using his armies to invade and find the infinity stones on Earth.”

There was a quiet murmur of whispers from the audience and council. Odin kept looking on without a flicker of any change to how he felt about the situation.

One council member stood up and looked down at Loki. “What proof do you have it was mind control?”

“I would like to bring my witness Tony Stark forward.” Loki motioned for Tony to join him. Peter found himself moving a few feet closer to his Bonded. He didn’t trust the people around them and he rubbed his fingers over his palm where his web shooter would usually be out of habit. He wanted to protect his partners, but all of his weapons were back on Earth.

“When Loki came into my tower,” Tony started, “he looked sick. His face looked sunken in and he had dark rings under his eyes. When Loki reached to choke me for some smart comment I made, something changed. I watched his then ice blue eyes change back to green. He went from looking confident to terrified. That moment, Loki had made flowers bloom across my neck where he grabbed me. Us bonding broke the mind control Thanos had placed over Loki.”

Peter hadn’t known that part of the story. At first he was amazed that a Soul Bond could break such a strong mind control, but then he felt inadequate. Neither his and Loki’s or his and Tony’s moments had been that earth shattering or worth telling.

After Tony was done making his statement, he walked back over to Peter and slid his arm around Peter’s waist. Peter placed his head on Tony’s shoulder, and they stood like that for the rest of the hearing.

The council berated Loki with questions but ultimately it was up to Odin to make the final call on Loki’s punishment.

“Loki Odinson, I have heard your testimony and I have made my decision. I find you not guilty for your crimes against Midgard, but guilty for your crimes against Asgard. Beginning tomorrow you will help clean up and rebuild your city. Your punishment will last until you are finished. You are all dismissed.”

As soon as Odin finished, Peter was being wrapped into Loki’s arms. He couldn’t help but be happy for Loki. He didn’t have to be imprisoned and he still had access to all of his magic. Peter wrapped his arms around Loki as tightly as he could. Loki pressed his lips to his hair, making Peter burrow in closer.

More arms wrapped around Peter. All three of them hugged and bounced slightly from the joy of Loki getting off almost scott free.

“It’s time to celebrate. Dinner is being served soon so we should head to the dining room,” Loki said as he stepped back. Peter dropped his arms but Loki’s hand slid into Peter’s as Tony’s arm went around Loki’s shoulders.

They all walked to the dining room together. Peter felt nervous as they passed Asgard civilians. Loki and Tony didn’t seem to notice but Peter could see everyone looking at them making their way through the halls. Eyes followed them and watched their interactions with quiet precision.

Peter leaned in close to Loki, holding his hand a fraction tighter. “Is it normal for everyone to be staring?”

Loki kissed Peter’s cheek with a reassuring smile. “Yes, Peter. They will get their fill then leave us alone. There is nothing to worry about.”

Dinner was uneventful since it was only them and the royal family. Small talk was made about what Peter and Tony did for a living. Frigga was impressed with all the schooling both of them had gotten already and everything they had learned. Odin sat back to sip at his Asgardian wine as Frigga led the conversations.

After dinner was over, Loki led Peter and Tony outside to his mother’s gardens. He tells them stories about his youth and running through the apple trees with Thor and gardening with Frigga. They take a seat underneath one of the apple trees. Peter thought it was a trick of the moonlight when he saw them shine like gold.

Once Peter had his head in Tony’s lap and Loki’s head was resting on Tony’s shoulder, they could all take in this moment together.

“I wish I could apologize for sneaking off with you guys and mean it,” Peter whispered into the night.

A hand with long fingers started to comb through his hair.

“And I want to say it is okay you came with us without asking, but I cannot say that either,” Loki responded just as quietly with a soft chuckle.

“Just talk to us, Pete. We’re your partners, not your parents. We would have said yes if you had asked.”

Peter glanced up at Loki for confirmation and he nodded. That was what made the guilt hit again with full force.

“I’m sorry for not trusting both of you. I really don’t want to fuck this up.”

He shifted his eyes to look over at Tony. There was a soft smile on Tony’s face, lighting up Peter’s heart and sending sparks down to his toes.

“We care about you, kid,” Tony whispered. “We’re here for you no matter what.”

Peter found himself more at peace than normal. It was easy for him to relax into the warmth of Tony’s legs and look up at the stars that felt so familiar but also alien.

They sat mostly in silence except for the occasional question from Peter about the stars and Asgard’s constellations. Loki’s fingers continued to leave paths through Peter’s hair as the night went on.

Loki was first to yawn and make the hidden need to go to bed brought to everyone’s attention. The three of them unravelled from each other, falling back into position they were in when they walked out to the gardens.

The room they were staying in was Loki’s room the in the palace, meaning it was built for royalty. The bed was huge. Peter knew it would fit all three of them no problem. The bathroom was also gigantic with an in-ground bathtub and a stand-alone shower big enough for ten people. Everything was decorated in gold, but as soon as Peter landed onto the bed, all he cared about was how soft the sheets were. Not to mention how he sank into the mattress.

Once he felt Tony and Loki join him under the covers, Peter was out like a light, surrounded by the warmth and limbs of his partners.

~*~

Loki’s punishment started early the next morning. He was out of bed before Peter or Tony could stir. A week or so in, Tony and Peter joined Loki for the rebuilding of Asgard. There was not much else the two could do in the new realm without assistance from Loki, Thor, or another Asgardian, so they put their skills to the test. Tony’s engineering mind and Peter’s problem solving skills alongside Loki’s magic made them the perfect team.

When Tony wasn’t helping Loki, Peter could find him learning about the Asgardian weaponry and technology. The teachers of these subjects were more than happy to help out a guest of the Allfather and Prince Loki.

Peter would join in too, since this particular interest matched up between them.

They had a chance to weld and become blacksmiths in training for a day. Peter hadn’t felt that close to Tony in a long time, and seeing him all sweaty wasn’t half bad either.

However, Peter did get his own alone time. He didn’t have a guide, but something pulled him into the gardens behind the castle. He was stunned to see how lucious it was. The trees were twice the height of Thor and the ground was covered in bushels and groupings of flowers. Nothing looked like it had a sign of wilting, or ever would. The path winded through everything and led to a maze in the middle of it all. The walls were eight foot hedges that opened up to a clearing to a private garden.

He peeked into the clearing, and he saw Frigga tending to her flowers. Peter tried to back out, before she noticed, but it was too late.

“Peter? Is that you?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Frigga motioned him inside to join her by the flowers.

“Why don’t you spend some time with me? I need an extra pair of hands out here.”

Peter couldn’t say no to a queen, so he stuck around. The second impression was a better one than when they first met. He learned tips and tricks for growing flowers and plants that grow food like apples and oranges. He also got stories of Loki of when he was younger. Some had him laughing until he cried.

“You don’t have to be intimidated by Tony, you know,” Frigga said, her motherly tone sliding out easily.

“I’m not intimidated by him. He’s my partner, just like Loki,” Peter replied without looking up from the roses he was grooming.

“Loki loves you just as much. You won’t lose him to Tony.”

Peter couldn’t look up from fear of crying if he saw the sincerity he heard in Frigga’s voice.

In between gardening and rebuilding the city during the day, Peter, Tony, and Loki would meet up for lunch to talk about what they had been up to. Peter usually stuck to what he had been up to in the garden, minus his talks with Frigga. Those felt too private to share with the other two.

Eventually, it evolved into time for Peter to fill his need for physical touch by sitting in either Tony or Loki’s lap and feeding them lunch. He would give them kisses between bites and didn’t eat until he was done feeding one of his partners.

There was a day that Peter would always remember. It was their normal time for lunch together, but then Loki came in and shifted into one of their non binary forms, sat in Peter’s lap, and proceeded to feed Peter. He felt his entire body light up the first time Loki’s fingers brushed across his lips when they fed him the Asgardian version of a strawberry.

It was not until a few months in that Peter found the gigantic library in the palace. Most of the books he couldn’t read, but when he found a book he could read, he would spend as much time as he could reading it before lunch or dinner. This and gardening with Frigga was what took up most of Peter’s time by the end of the sixth month mark.

The evenings were spent all together for huge meals in the dining area of the palace. Peter tried his best to dress up when he had the chance since Loki, Thor, and their parents always looked regal and stunning for supper.

The second dinner was a memorable one because Peter was offered the Asgardian mead. It had hit him hard immediately and he only got one and a half mugs in before he was cut off by Tony and Loki.

“What?” Peter tried to whisper when the glass magically disappeared from his hand. He looked up at Loki, who was now holding the glass. “Hey!”

Peter’s attempt to stand wasn’t successful as he fell back off his chair. Being intoxicated also affected his spider senses and Tony was the one to stop his chair from completely tipping backwards.

“Okay, kid. We’re cutting you off and sending you to bed.”

Peter had never felt so betrayed. He felt tears come to his eyes and his face heat up from embarrassment. Soon there were four pairs of arms around him, lifting him up and holding him close as he tried to keep himself from sobbing.

In a green flash, they were all standing in Loki’s bedroom. It took Peter a few seconds to figure out his surroundings with the sudden shift. He was set down on the bed and handed a cold glass of water. Somebody wouldn’t let him lay down until he finished it, but it was worth the wait. The bed was soft and soon turned warm with two familiar bodies wrapped around him.

The morning, though, brought on headaches and nausea. Tony stayed with Peter in their room and laughed whenever Peter complained.

“Tony, stop laughing. It makes my head hurt.”

Tony turned the lights off and sat next to Peter in the bed.

“It’s all part of the experience, kid.”

On other nights, Peter found it hard to sleep. He would slide out of bed and make his way around the castle for a few laps to get his thoughts to settle down. It was on these nights he missed home the most. He missed the closeness the three of them had reached while being in close quarters with each other.

These days had Tony working on weapons mostly without Peter there and Loki in the city, restoring infrastructure. At the end of the day, he missed his Bonded, and he needed to process that away from them in his own time. He would make it back to the room right before sunrise most nights he took his walk. His bedmates were always eager to let him back in the bed to sleep for a few hours before breakfast.

Peter knew Tony and Loki weren’t oblivious about his late night walks. There were times he felt Tony’s arms tighten around him when he tried to leave or Loki’s hand grab his arm to keep him from leaving the bed. But eventually, the men would fall back asleep and Peter would sneak out easily with his boosted agility.

By the time morning came, Peter wouldn’t act like anything had been wrong. The only evidence of concern was from Tony and Loki. He felt them watch him with cautious glances and talked to him with voices dripping with worry. Naturally, Peter brushed it off, but that didn’t seem to do him any favors.

~*~

The last day on Asgard was a special one. There was a big celebration planned to honor its visitors and everything they had done for the city.

“I don’t see why the clothing we have isn’t fancy enough. I brought plenty of suits,” Tony pouted from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Asgardian formal wear is different than Earth’s, now let us go. We do not have time to argue about it.”

Loki pulled Tony off the bed just as Peter left the bathroom dressed in his civilian clothes. It was perfect timing to be grabbed by Tony and they all headed out for the royal seamstresses.

“Why is this one more important than the other dinners we’ve gone to?” Peter caught up to the other two so they could all walk side by side.

Loki glanced at him then smiled. “My dear Peter, tonight is a celebration of all the things accomplished in the last year. It will be more than the family eating dinner this evening.”

Peter saw Tony raise his eyebrows at that, but neither of them tried to argue again.

Once at the seamstresses’ workroom, all three of them were pulled in separate directions by different people. Peter barely got a last glance at Loki and Tony before a curtain was closed in his face and he was being measured from head to toe.

He was quickly undressed and draped in navy see-through fabric. Peter watched as the shawl rapidly became a shirt that fit him perfectly. He was slightly mortified by how deep the neck line plunged, ending just below his sternum. Lines were traced for the seams to go and in a flash, his chest is bare and he was being pulled into the softest leather he has ever felt. It was a deep red and was being pulled tighter and tighter against his legs until it was completely flush against them.

While his pants were being marked for alterations, a thick but light jacket was settled over his shoulders. It was the same blue as his shirt with gold accents. Very intricate swirls and details lined his collar and bottom edges of the jacket. The two buttons in the middle were also gold. Peter didn’t doubt for a second that  it was real gold, not just paint or artificially colored thread.

He was stripped back down to his skin and put back into his civilian clothes before they pushed him back out into the waiting area so they could get started on solidifying the dimensions of his dinner wear.

Outside of his fitting room, Tony was sitting on a couch in his own civilian clothes getting his feet measured to different sizes of soles for new shoes.

“We’re getting new shoes too?”

“Can’t get a new outfit without new shoes to go with it,” Tony said as he patted a spot next to him. “Come sit by me and get your feet measured.”

Peter shuffled over and sat with him, easily sliding his hand into Tony’s as a new seamstress came out to start on his new shoes.

“Have you seen Loki yet?”

Tony shook his head. “He’s still in the fitting room. I guess princes get special treatment.”

The seamstresses giggled, but didn’t add any commentary about Loki. Tony and Peter shared a look, but before they could say anything to each other, Loki walked out of his fitting room, shaking hands with the head seamstress.

The women in front of Peter and Tony stood up with their measurements and walked off with the head seamstress.

Tony gave Peter’s hand a squeeze before letting go to stand up. Peter followed his lead effortlessly.

“Now what?” Peter questioned.

“Now we wait. Our new clothes will be delivered to the room when they are finished. But for now, I was hoping to have lunch out in the city with my Bonded.”

Peter visibly perked up as Tony smiled warmly.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing that,” Tony said as he reached for Loki’s hand. He leaned up onto his toes and pressed a kiss to Loki’s cheek.

“Me either,” Peter agreed. “But I would love to eat now. I’m starving.”

Loki laughed and took all three of them outside of the seamstresses’ work room and out of the palace.

It was interesting to see the work Loki did in this last year as a whole. Asgard was gorgeous when they arrived, but now it was breathtaking. Peter had to grab Loki’s hand to steady himself from the beauty.

“Loki, you did all this?”

“Well, Tony did play a part in helping me and the citizens were very cooperative. But essentially, yes.”

Peter knew about Tony helping, but it had to have been more than he thought if Loki was mentioning it. He looked over at Tony with a fond smile and grabbed his hand too.

Their walk to the restaurant Loki had chosen for them was filled with small talk and sweet words. The food was delicious and every bite had Peter moaning out how good it was. All Loki did was laugh quietly while they ate.

On the way back to the palace, they passed a flower shop. Tony made them stop and go inside. He bought Peter and Loki their Asgardian equivalents to their Soul Marks. They didn’t look like Hawthorn or a Guelder Rose, but they meant nearly the same. Peter tucked his behind his ear while the flourist braided Loki’s flower into his hair.

They finish their walk into the palace with their arms linked, Peter standing proudly between his two Bonded.

Peter was in the middle of telling a story about Gwen and Harry when they were younger when they entered their bedroom. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the clothes on the bed. Seeing them in pieces while getting them fitted was nothing compared to seeing them fully formed.

He walked up to the red leather and navy shirt, running his hands down the fabric. One set was in a garment bag that was picked up by Loki with a soft smile. On the other side of him, Tony was already getting out of his clothes to change.

“I will change in the bathroom. I want it to be a surprise for the both of you,” Loki said as he slid into the washroom.

Tony stopped undressing with just his boxers on and turned to Peter. Peter was put frozen in his spot by the stern look in Tony’s eyes.

“I’m not oblivious. I know you’ve barely slept these last few months. You constantly leave the bed when you think Loki and I are asleep.”

“Tony, I-”

“Are you okay? Are we doing something that makes you uncomfortable?”

That made Peter pause. He hadn’t been prepared to be asked if he was okay. He was ready to defend his actions, not explore his emotional well being.

“I’m okay. I miss home,” Peter starts. “I miss how we were on Earth. Our dynamic changed here and I miss you guys.”

Peter glanced at the shut bathroom door then back at Tony with a scared look in his eyes.

“Do you like it here? Are we staying on Asgard?”

Tony dropped his shirt back onto the bed and hastily tried to comfort Peter. “Don’t worry, Peter. We’re still leaving tomorrow.” Tony cupped Peter’s cheek in his hand. “I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I’m ready to go home too.”

Peter leaned into Tony’s touch, nuzzling his palm just enough so he could kiss Tony’s wrist.

It was then that Loki came out of the bathroom. They had changed into their non binary form that still towered over the both of them. The black shirt they had on was sheer and hanging over the hem of gold leather pants that seemed to turn green in the light. Loki’s hair was longer now, down to their lower back and curled into loose ringlets. The toes that peaked out from under their pants were painted black like their fingernails. To top it all off, Loki was wearing a small crown that looked like a toned down version of their warrior headgear.

Peter felt his jaw drop and when he looked at Tony, he was sure he saw Tony’s cheeks turn a little pink.

“What are you two boys staring at? You need to get dressed so we can be at dinner on time.”

Loki turned toward the boudoir in the room and started on their makeup. Peter shook himself out of his awestruck daze and started on his pants. They slid on beautifully. His shirt slid on even better.

He looked up from adjusting his main attire to see both of his partners looking at him.

“What? Do I look bad?”

Peter started fidgeting with his pants so he didn’t have to look at Loki or Tony.

Fingers lifted his chin for Peter to look directly into Loki’s eyes. “You are magnificent.”

Tony came up behind them in his own outfit. He was in a red shawl with the v point of it ending at his naval. The fabric glimmered gold in the light, contrasting elegantly with his solid black pants that are so tight barely anything is left to the imagination. As per usual, Tony was stunning.

“You two don’t look half bad either,” Peter joked with a smirk.

The three of them laughed then headed out for dinner and the big feast ahead of them.

~*~

The dining hall was packed to the brim. If it weren’t for the royal guards, they would have never made it to the front with the king and queen and Thor. Odin’s eyes shined with approval at the upgraded version of themselves as they took a seat at their own table facing this citizens of Asgard.

Tony and Peter were on either side of Loki. They were just getting settled in for the first course when Loki stood up before the crowd. A loud boom sounded from the Allfather’s staff, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room so Loki could speak.

“I wanted to thank everyone for coming this evening on such short notice. I also wanted to thank you all for working with me in this last year to fix the mess I had made the last time I was home. But I wanted to take this time to introduce the kingdom to my life mates and as said on Midgard, my Bonded. I was lost inside my head until I found Anthony Stark.” Lokie motioned to Tony. “He brought me back to me and the world around me. When he introduced me to Peter Parker,” they continued while gesturing over to Peter, “everything made sense again. I felt like I had a purpose now that I had found these two wonderful men. Now I am so elated for this realm to know of them too. They are my bonded and I am so happy to call them mine.”

There was deafening applause as Loki sat back down. Peter had tears running down his cheeks and ugly sobbing noises threatened to come out of his throat. He swiftly excused himself and ran as fast as he could back to their room. It was difficult with the tears falling fast and hot down his face.

When he rounded the corner to their secluded hallway, Tony and Loki were already waiting for him. He didn’t hesitate as he ran straight into their open arms. He heard sniffles above his head and knew he wasn’t the only one crying.

There was a flash and they were inside the room. They all flopped back onto the bed, Loki and Tony curling themselves around Peter. Their controlled breathing gave something for Peter to focus on and calm himself down.

Tony’s hand started to push back Peter’s hair while Loki’s hand rubbed up and down his side.

“I’m sorry I ran out. I don’t...I don’t know what came over me.” Peter looked up at Tony then over his shoulder at Loki. “Your words were lovely. I didn’t expect to be announced before the entire realm, though.”

Loki kissed Peter’s nose then smiled softly. “It was meant to be a good surprise. Not one to make one of us leave the room. I should not have made it so overwhelming. It was a big audience.”

“It was a great surprise. I don’t feel worthy of it though.”

Loki and Tony both sat up and looked down at Peter. He couldn’t take their scrutiny and used a now free pillow to cover his face. It was immediately pulled away from his face and the faces he met weren’t angry. They were filled with concern.

“What makes you think that, kid?” Tony whispered into the thick tension. His hand slid up Peter’s arm and rested where his neck connected to his shoulder. Peter felt his heartbeat pick up exponentially from the question and the soft touch.

“You two work so well together,” Peter whispered back. “I’ve been stubborn and I haven’t put all of me into this relationship. Sometimes, rarely, it feels like the universe made a mistake, like I don’t belong.”

Loki reached out their hand and ran their fingers through Peter’s hair. “Peter, we would not work this well without you. You give me an outlet for things Tony could not possibly understand. You bring a light to these two sad partners. There is a reason you have hope in your soul.”

“Loki’s right, Pete. They’re brilliant in magic and history, but you and me? We’re something else in that lab. We bounce off each other like it’s our own language. You deserve all that we can give you.”

Peter couldn’t help but smile. He turned his head into Tony’s hand and kissed his palm gently. With one of his hands, he rubbed Loki’s knee just so he could feel both of his Bonded. Something settled deep in Peter’s stomach that clenched his heart tightly.

“I’m...I’m so sorry for not being all there. You two have been nothing but good to me.”

“I’d say it’s okay, but I think what you need to hear is that we forgive you,” said Tony.

Peter felt Loki lean down and press their lips to Peter’s ear. “I love you,” they whispered.

Peter surged up and grabbed Loki’s face, pulling them down into a rough kiss. He felt their teeth clack against each other before Loki got Peter settled. It became less rough but still held the same amount of passion.

“I love you, too, Loki,” Peter said into the kiss.

He pulled back for a breath and the space was quickly filled by Tony who decided to take his time with Peter. Tongues brushed together. Peter could feel himself getting hot underneath his clothes as he fisted his hands into Tony’s hair.

“Oh, Mr. Stark,” Peter moaned. “I love you.”

Cooler hands pushed up Peter’s shirt to which he made a whining noise when he had to pull away from Tony to get it the rest of the way off.

Tony smiled down at Peter. “I love you too, Pete.” Then he looked over at Loki who was still holding Peter’s shirt. “And I love you, Lokes.”

Loki leaned forward, resting a hand on Peter’s torso, and kissed Tony. “And I love you, Tony.”

Peter breathed heavily and he couldn’t quite catch his breath when the attention was turned back to him and Loki started tracing the flower they caused to bloom onto his skin.

“You are a masterpiece,” Loki said with awe.

Peter blushed all the way down his chest, causing Tony to lean down and kiss over the _enchantment_ he put there. The first kiss sent a gasp out of Peter’s lungs, but the ones afterwards had him squirming and biting his lip to keep from begging.

He laid his hand on Tony’s shoulder and pushed him back, straddling his waist and taking off his shirt.

“Can I treat you?” Peter looked over at Loki. “And you? Please.”

Both nodded and Peter slinked down between Tony’s legs, pulling his pants with him. He wasn’t surprised to see Tony chose to wear them without underwear. Peter couldn’t keep the groan back when Tony’s cock was free. Before Peter could get Tony’s pants off all the way, Tony’s hips were already lifting in a steady rhythm.

“Someone is a little impatient,” Loki joked.

Peter laughed as he leaned down to nip at Tony’s stomach. “You’re next, so be careful how big you talk.

Tony took a breath like he was going to quip back, but he was cut off when Peter licked a strip up the underside of Tony’s cock. Once he reached the top, he sucked on the head, stroking the rest with his hand. Each down stroke, Peter took more and more of Tony into his mouth. The sounds Tony was making were sent down to Peter’s core, causing him to shiver more than once.

A few minutes in, Peter’s jaw was starting to ache. Lucky for him, though, Tony pulled him off his dick with a swift hair pull. Drool dripped down Peter’s chin from the surplus he had been keeping in his mouth.

Tony was dishevelled. Peter thought he looked beautiful like this; cheeks red and hair slick with sweat, breathing hard and barely holding onto his composure.

“Take off your pants,” Tony breathed out. Peter quickly listened then looked at Loki who was still dressed. A sudden decision led him to pull off their shirt then hesitate. Peter had forgotten that this particular form of Loki’s had breasts and most likely a pussy. Peter gulped as he moved to take their pants off.

Loki was helpful in getting themselves undressed, allowing Peter to go at his own pace. When they were stripped, Peter gently laid Loki down on the bed next to Tony.

“I promised you were next, didn’t I?”

Loki lifted and spread their legs with a smirk. Peter took that as the go ahead and knelt down. He started at the fold and carefully licks them open, watching for Loki’s reactions. When he sucked lightly on their clit, Loki pressed their hips down into Peter’s mouth. Peter hummed approvingly into their pussy, flicking his tongue out every once in a while.

“ _Stop teasing_ , please, Peter,” Loki growled out.

There was a shift in the atmosphere and Peter went into a time old trick of writing out the alphabet with his tongue. At the letter ‘e,’ slicked up fingered rubbed at Peter’s entrance. Peter had to pause his movements to moan loudly into Loki’s hip when a single finger pushed into his hole.

He tried to concentrate on Loki as best as he could while Tony worked him open. Peter could tell Tony was doing his best to avoid anything Peter might not want him to touch, including his own vagina. He couldn’t help but smile at that.

Right as Peter finished the letter ‘x,’ Loki’s fingers were in his hair, holding him down as they climaxed. He dug his fingers into Loki’s thighs to hold them open. By now, Tony was two fingers deep inside Peter. The multitude of sensations kept Peter right on the edge of _not quite enough_ and _too much_.

He kissed up Loki’s torso and licked at the _rage_ and _betrayal_ spread out there. Peter wanted to close the wounds of Loki’s past with his love and care so while his loved on those flowers, he kept pressure on his and Tony’s flowers on Loki’s hip.

Tony positioned himself behind him and Loki. The condom sounded louder than it should have in the post-climax atmosphere as Tony tore it open and rolled it onto his cock. While Peter waited, he kept kissing Loki’s skin and putting special attention on their nipples with his teeth and tongue.

Peter let out a long whine when Tony started to push in. Loki’s hands rubbed up and down his arms and back to get him to relax. A few deep breaths later, Tony had the head in and Peter’s head rested on Loki’s chest, breathing out warm and damp breath onto their sweaty skin.

One deep breath allowed Tony to slide in to the hilt, pushing the rest of the breath out of Peter’s lungs. Lips roamed his back and shoulder while soft hands kept running over his flushed skin.

“Move a little bit, Mr. Stark,” Peter gasped out.

Tony was fast to oblige. He started with small thrusts that had Peter shaking. They slowly got longer, deeper, and faster as Peter got more and more comfortable.

It had only been maybe fifteen minutes, but to Peter, it felt like he had been on the brink for centuries.

“Loki,” Peter moaned out. “Touch me, please. I’m so close. _Touch me_.”

Their hand pushed back his hair soothingly. “Shh, we’ve got you.”

Loki’s long fingers found Peter’s clit and with a few rubs, Peter was screaming into Loki’s skin and clenching around Tony. Tony’s moans were almost loud enough to drown out Peter’s as Tony was sent into his own climax.

Before Peter let himself collapse to the bed, he made sure to kiss Loki again, languid and deep to share this moment with them.

Tony slowly pulled out and Peter barely realized he left the bed to throw away the condom until he was back on the bed and looking up at Peter.

“Do I get any love?” Tony said with a mockingly sad voice.

“Of course,” Peter replied with a laugh and crawled over to the other man to kiss away his pout. A warm towel wiped them all down. Peter was sure it was Loki’s magic because the towel stayed warm.

Peter pulled away from Tony with a satisfied smiled when they were clean. He slid down under the covers and curled up onto Tony’s chest, closing his eyes against the glow of the arc reactor. The lights dimmed in the room and Loki’s body pressed up to Peter’s back, the three of them drifting off into any easy sleep.

While they all slept, the universe left them a gift for the morning. In circles around their Soul Marks, forget-me-nots bloomed on their skin. These did not burn like the others. The Bonded group barely stirred as _true love_ was marked onto their skin for the rest of their lives.

The circle pattern would make sense in the morning when they saw how they wrapped around the arc reactor like a delicate border to Tony’s heart.

But for now, they slept on peacefully with new flowers on their skin and love in their hearts.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for making it to the end! You can find me on Tumblr at yourselenite! :)
> 
> This work also has a playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/styles_could/playlist/01yNOqe1QHzRJGQNB93FiT?si=4HqA69LNQLuNuvdxsdsunw


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